Against All Odds
by romeothewriter
Summary: Your trials and tribulations do not define you. The way in which you handle them are what define you. Do not count how many times you fall. Instead tally up the amount of times that you get back up. Making it to the top is easy. Staying there? That's a completely different entity. She has fallen. Now can she get back up? Sequel to "If You Could See Me Now". 3rd & Final Installment
1. Starting From The Bottom

_Mama told me when I was young_

_Come sit beside me, my only son_

_And listen closely to what I say._

_And if you do this_

_It will help you some sunny day._

_Take your time... Don't live too fast,_

_Troubles will come and they will pass._

_Go find a woman and you'll find love,_

_And don't forget son,_

_There is someone up above_

_Forget your lust for the rich man's gold_

_All that you need is in your soul,_

_And you can do this if you try._

_All that I want for you my son,_

_Is to be satisfied_

* * *

Dreams come true. It's a proven fact. It does not matter how big the dream may be. What matters is the dreamer. It's like writing a story. You have an amazing idea, but if you take no time to research, and you aren't passionate about the words you write down, no one can ever fully grasp how beautiful the tale may be. Not many people will understand you. They may not find humor in your antics. They may not cry for your pain. They may not smile at your triumphs. Nonetheless, it is your story, your dream. You succeed first and foremost for yourself. When you lose sight of why you do something, of the passion you once held for it, you begin to slip. Talent will only get you so far. The attitude you carry through your journey will make or break you. She made it, but making it is the simple and easy part. Staying there? That's an entirely different entity. Can she make it back?

"I'm not gonna retire," she scoffed.

"B, you have music going for you," the blonde reasoned.

"I just - music doesn't do it for me anymore, Bree. It doesn't. I want _this. _I'm not retiring. I'm - I'm not ready for this to end. I'm still young."

"Well, we have options. The Arena League. Canadian league."

"I'm not moving my family to Canada, Bree!"

The blonde huffed in exasperation. "Okay, look. I might be able to work out something with San Diego, but I can't promise you anything. Point is, they're cutting you, B. Contract's up, and that one Rookie of the Year award can't carry us forever."

"Right, I get it. I just-" Her head dropped now. "What the hell am I going to tell - _him_?"

Aubrey's eyes softened as she observed her sister. "B, he thinks the world of you. He's going to love you no matter what. Besides, he doesn't understand just yet."

"I just - is it selfish of me to wanna keep playing? I don't wanna keep moving all over the damn country. I mean, Jesus, I really thought I had it here."

"I know, but we'll figure it out. Just give me some time."

"Okay, yeah."

"Go home. Have dinner with your wife. Just - enjoy it, okay?"

Beca nodded slowly before rising to her feet and leaving her sister's office. She grabbed her duffle bag and headed out of the training facility for the final time. The anger and frustration coursing through her was overwhelming. She had no idea how she had failed once again, but she had, and telling Chloe for the fifth time in two years that they were being uprooted was not the ideal activity for the brunette. She knew the redhead would understand, would not judge or question her, would not resent her in any way. That ironically caused her to feel worse about the situation. Chloe had been by her side since the jump, and she was failing her miserably. The worst part? She wasn't only failing her wife.

In the first of two years that she had played for the Atlanta Falcons, she had won Rookie of the Year though missing the playoffs. In the second year, it was nothing more than a downward spiral. The team had a losing record both years, not winning more than six games per season, and she had been let go immediately despite Atlanta's desire to keep her in her home state for the sake of her legacy. Chloe had not been deterred when being forced to move to Jacksonville. It wasn't too far from home, and the Jaguars were a team that was rebuilding itself from the ground up. They could use all the help that they could get, and they had wanted Beca since draft day. It had fallen through of course, but they gave it another shot. In that one year, they still could not make the playoffs, and Beca could not break the thousand - yard mark. The release was inevitable. Still, the eastern US had kept her as the New Orleans Saints took her in. It was further from Barden, but it was manageable for the time being. Then that ended as quickly as it had begun, and Beca was traded during week four of the season to the Indianapolis Colts for a more seasoned halfback. She lasted two weeks there before ending up in New York to play for the Jets, but this too had run its short course. She had been second - string runningback, but when their first - stringer Corey Davis was injured, she took the lead. She was average if anything, and with only three hundred yards in seven games, there was nothing more the team could do with her. Now, she faced free agency, and no other team was waiting in line for their shot with Smash Mitchell. Not only was she going to have to leave New York, she had no idea where they would end up next, and uncertainty was anything but comforting.

The moment Beca opened the door to her home, her anger evaporated as she was met with the rapid pattering of small feet coming down the hall. She bent down just as Emmett rushed into her arms, his brunette curls bouncing atop his head.

"M-m-mama!" he squealed as she lifted him up.

"Hey, Buddy," she greeted him, kissing his forehead. "Where's Mommy?"

"I-i-in t-t-there."

He pointed down the hall before burrowing his head into Beca's neck. She chuckled lightly as she proceeded into the home. Leave it up to her three - year - old son to make her anger dissipate before even being seen. She thanked the Lord everyday for him. He was a smart kid, and he loved football even though he really had no idea what was going on. He stuttered viciously, and the doctors had only prescribed time, but it didn't matter to his parents. Though he wouldn't comprehend the information, telling her son that she had failed again was the most difficult task for Beca. She wanted to find some stability because if she was still floating around the NFL by the time he started school, she would have no choice apart from early retirement. She did not want to be moving him around, and soon, she would have others apart from him to worry about as far as schooling went. Never had she foreseen raising a family in this fashion, or raising a family at all once upon a time, and it ate at her daily.

Beca found her wife in the nursery rocking Isaiah, and she smiled lovingly. She looked over at the crib where Baby Peyton lay sleeping soundly. Her heart both plummeted and swelled at the sight. Her little girl had been the biggest surprise in the world. It was enough that Isaiah was deciding to make an appearance on the brunette's birthday, but when Dr. Benning had found a second heartbeat with just a month before Chloe's due date, Beca had not known what to think. The next thing she knew, the babies were delivered, and she was being congratulated on twins. Peyton was very small, and her lung development had not fully completed by delivery, but she was a fighter, and now, three months later, she was healthy as can be. Still, it was hard for Beca to believe that she now had three beautiful children with the one and only Chloe Beale-Mitchell.

* * *

_"Baby?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"Can I talk to you for a minute?"_

_"Yeah, of course, Babe. What's going on?"_

_Chloe moved further into the studio, Beca turning her chair to give her wife her full attention. "Well, I know that it's been a big season for you, and the music is getting busy and all, and we just got married a few months ago. I know you're busy, and -"_

_"Baby." Beca now stood, cupping the redhead's cheeks. "Whatever it is, all you have to do is ask. It's okay."_

_Chloe smiled softly though she didn't fully meet her wife's gaze. "Well I - I was - well...Becs, I want to have a baby. I want us to start a family now."_

_Beca was silent now, and after a few seconds, Chloe chanced a glance up. She found the brunette with a wide grin on her face before she pressed her lips to the redhead's._

_"I would love to start a family with you, Mrs. Mitchell," the brunette said._

_The redhead's features instantly illuminated. "Really?"_

_"Yeah, of course."_

_"Even with the business and the season and-"_

_"We can make time, Baby. That's no problem."_

_"So - you're in."_

_The brunette smiled. "I'm in."_

* * *

"Hey, Baby," Chloe greeted in that usual bubbly voice despite looking exhausted.

"Hey," Beca returned, nerves beginning to surface once more.

"What's wrong?"

Beca chastised herself. Of course Chloe could always read her. After ten years, she couldn't expect anything less. After all, the redhead had been able to read her from the start. Beca gently set Emmett down so that he could scurry off to his room with a kiss to the top of his head. She then faced her wife once more though her eyes remained downcast.

"Well," she sighed. "They're letting me go."

"Oh, Becs," Chloe whined, but not for the reason which Beca knew she should be whining. "Are you okay?"  
Beca scoffed. "Me? Are you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, honey. Where are we going?"

Beca's shoulders slumped impossibly lower. "That's the thing. I - I don't know. Aubrey's trying to put something together with San Diego, but - no one's interested. I've been cold too long."

Chloe stood now, laying Isaiah next to his sister in the crib before turning to her wife. She gently cupped Beca's cheeks, their eyes congregating silently for a few moments.

"Baby, do you love the game?" the redhead asked.

Beca huffed. "Baby, you ask me that every year, and-"

"Do you love the game, Beca?"

She paused a moment before nodding. "Yes, yes I do."

"Then you need to remember that. You've been trying so hard to be the best that you forgot to play your game."

"I -I don't want let anyone down anymore."

"Baby, there is a three - year - old in the other room that jumps up and down each time you take the field. He has no idea how good or bad you're doing, but he enjoys the game itself. That's what you need to remember. The game."

Beca smiled lovingly, pressing a kiss to the taller woman's lips. Chloe always knew what to say. Every year when Beca hit her rock bottom, her words always came with a philosophical sense that activated each and every one of Beca's senses. It was words like these that kept Beca up all night and eventually drove her to try again at whatever it may be she was questioning. Chloe was right. Emmett loved seeing her play. Whether he was actually at the game or watching on the television, he didn't care how many touchdowns Beca scored or how many yards she gained. He didn't care if Chloe put him in a Jets jersey or a Jaguar jersey or a Falcons jersey. He was only concerned about when his Mama came on, knowing her number and which side she played for. It was all that mattered to her, and she wanted her little boy to be proud.

After dinner, Beca settled down on the couch in the den and begrudgingly turned on the TV. As always, it was already tuned to ESPN. Therefore, the first thing she heard caused her stomach to churn.

_"...and the New York Jets confirm that they have released halfback Smash Mitchell. As you recall, Mitchell was in Indy from week four to week six before being traded to the Jets for Ronnie Brown. Where do you think we'll see her go next, John?"_

_"I don't know, Gail. This may be it for her. Five teams in four years never looks good on a resume. Following her rookie season, she has only racked up 1,860 yards and twenty touchdowns. 1,200 of those yards and eighteen of those touchdowns were posted in her rookie season where she received the Rookie of the Year award. However, in four years, that just won't cut it in this league."_

_"Well, the run was fun while it lasted. I guess it doesn't get better for everyone after college. We-"_

Beca shut off the TV with a grunt, tossing the remote to the other end of the couch. Oh, John and Gail, the two commentators who used to pine over her in college, had given up hope on her as well. The whole world may have at this point and for good reason. Her eyes gradually rose to meet the mantle and wall filled with her various awards from college and high school. Many still sat in her aunt Allie's home back in Barden such as one Heisman trophy, one state championship ball and a medal as well. Still, she carried many with her as reminders of her capabilities. Usually, when she would gaze at them awhile, it would spark something inside of her. It would motivate her to keep going, but not now. Slowly, she stood up, striding across the room to the mantle. Her fingers ran over her first BCS championship ring, the plaque signifying their win with a picture of the entire BU team, the glass encasing the game ball and last, a picture frame. She held her Colts helmet in one hand as she kneeled on the field, her other hand around Emmett's midsection as he leaned against her knee with a huge grin. His bright blue eyes glinted with childish mirth, and Beca was grinning down at him. It brought a single tear to the brunette's eye, a sad smile gracing her features. As if sensing the need of his aide, Emmett raced into the room and stopped beside his mother. She gazed down at him, and he had on that wide grin. His hair was damp from his bath, his Batman pajamas slightly large on him. She picked him up and kissed his cheek softly.

"Hey, Buddy," she greeted. "Did you take a bath?"

He nodded before looking over at the picture of the two she had been looking at.

"Th-th-that us, M-M-Mama?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," she replied.

"Y-y-you p-pay f-foo-ball?"

"Yeah. Do you like football?" He nodded vigorously, and she chuckled.

"P-p-play f-f-foo-ball, Mama."

"Not anymore, Son. Not for now anyway, but Mama does get to stay home with you more."

"Yeah!" He threw a triumphant fist in the air.

She chuckled. "So what do you wanna do then?"

"Uh, I-I-I w-w-wanna s-see m-my G-G-Ga-mmas."

"You wanna go see your grandmas?"

"Y-Y-Yeah."

She pondered it a moment, and it actually didn't sound like a bad idea to leave back home early. Christmas along with Emmett's birthday had just passed the week prior to their season ending, and it had been all too close to a year since they had been back in Barden. It had been six months since they had seen any of the family aside from Stacie, Aubrey and their two children, Emma and Caleb. By now, their family had grown exponentially. Jesse and Kelly had their daughter Paige and their son Anthony. Benji and Jessica had Nico and Kiely. Donald and Lily contributed two with Baron while CR and Denise had Owen. Sarah and Allie had added their son Darren, and Luke and Ashley had Tara and Isaac. Beca and Chloe still had one child to meet, and the only ones to meet Peyton and Isaiah were the Conrads. At this point, seeing everyone would do the Mitchells some good with the release. They had overstayed their welcome in New York anyway, and she may as well go home. She also remembered a conversation she had had with her Aunt Allie not too long ago that had alarmed her.

* * *

_"She isn't doing well, Becs," the elder sighed down the phone line._

_"Who?" Beca asked exhaustedly._

_"Penny. She's - getting old, you know. She works too much, and even with the girls helping her and Luke and CR aiding with logistics as much as they can, she's still in the diner seven days a week. She won't listen to any of us, and you know that business here has been mad since that last BCS championship. Hell, before that. The diner's famous, and that means a lot of business. That's good and all, but she's just doing too much at this stage even though we've hired more than enough staff."_

_"What are you saying?"_

_"The doctors say that her chances for a stroke are increasing rapidly."_

_"Maybe I can talk to her. I know she's been slaving over that diner too long. I'll be home soon. Just let me finish out the season."_

* * *

"Okay," she at last sighed. "We can go see Grandma Lauren and Grandma Emily."

"Yay!" he squealed. "A-a-and G-g-gamma P-Penny!"

"Yes, and Grandma Penny."

"Yay!"

"You wanna watch a game before bed?" Another vicious nod. "Okay, let's do it."

Chloe found her wife and elder son half an hour later sitting in the den. Emmett was curled into his mother's side like a football, and Beca's feet were propped on the coffee table. The redhead smiled before looking up at the screen, and she realized what they were watching. Beca had had Coach Jackson give her copies of every single one of her high school and college games in Barden. The redhead knew that her wife watched those games a lot despite the way in which she watched them. Usually she would watch them in the middle of the night when she was sure her family was sleeping, indulging herself in the film and trying to relive it. Chloe was also sure she had many of the games on her iPad, and she would watch them in the home studio or in the basement where she did her training during the off - season if she couldn't make it to the facility. It was so amazing to see her eyes shine when watching those games.

Anyone would find Beca's desire to continue football absurd. Despite her failures, she was on the Forbes List. The family as a whole, without contest, was the wealthiest with Donald getting drafted on the third day of the NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he had been for four years. Jesse and Luke had also continued to play in the Arena Football League with the Atlanta Force when offered very generous contracts and signing bonuses. They had multiple homes, nice cars and overflowing bank accounts. Beca was one of the most net - worthy celebrities in the world. She was also the most renowned DJ and producer in America despite her gradual retraction from the industry, and ReBella Titanium Records grossed the most profit out of all other independent record labels. They had worked with a slew of the most prolific artists, and they were loved. Beca had it made, so it was not as if she needed the job. That was the thing though.

To others, it was her job. To her, this was her life, her passion, her love even above music. To some, it may be selfish of her to want both. To her, it was vital. She loved the game, but she had no idea how to hold onto that dream. Many didn't understand why she tried. They had once, back in college. They knew how much her family meant to her, but many would speculate that her family would be content with her retirement. They didn't realize how hard it was for Beca to walk away personally. They didn't know about the three-year-old with a speech impediment that lived and breathed football without comprehension and with only the knowledge of what color his mother's helmet was, what number was embroidered on her jersey. The choice to continue playing football was so much bigger than a job, but only Beca understood that, which left only Beca to decide what to do. Chloe knew this, and she would stand by the brunette regardless of the choice. It was hard moving around. It was tough being away from home, but she loved Beca with every fiber of her being. She was an amazing wife and an amazing mother, and she trusted her to do what was best for them when it came down to it. She didn't care much for speculation. It came with the territory. What she cared about was her wife's happiness.

* * *

Beca and her family were back in Barden the following week after packing up their New York home in record time. Their Atlanta home was just down the street from ReBella Titanium Records, and they pulled in just past eight that morning. Aubrey and Stacie had left the night before, so they were already in town. Beca unloaded the luggage, and the difference in her demeanor was evident. Her muscles relaxed, and she took in deep breaths with content. The peace and tranquility of Barden, Georgia would always be her preference over everything else, especially the fast pace and polluted air of New York. The air was cooler and crisper, and it was the greatest luxury in Beca's eyes, to be home. Here, their home was simple. The house itself was not flashy or fancy. None of their homes were. It was big enough for the family and any guests with a four - car garage. They kept a Suburban and a Lincoln there, and there wasn't much to it. Beca wasn't much for the material accolades of wealth. She spoiled the kids, but that was a given. Aside from that, she didn't splurge the way she was expected to. The only large expense she had put into the house was the training facility in the basement that spanned across the entire space of the house with every kind of equipment she could think of plus the home studio. The one she had in New York was slightly smaller, but this had been her first.

Chloe found Beca standing on the terrace outside of the master bedroom, overlooking their hometown. With a smile, she snaked her arms around the shorter woman's waist.

"How does it feel coming home?" the redhead asked.

"It feels - amazing," Beca sighed happily. "It does. Sometimes I think of just coming home for good, you know, but - I don't know how to walk away."

"It'll come in time, Baby Love. Home will always be here, but we're with you all the way."

In truth, Beca's greatest fear had always been the day when Chloe approached her with nothing but an ultimatum, the day the redhead gave up on her and walked away if she continued this downward spiral. No, her greatest fear was Chloe coming to her with no choice, no ultimatum, just a goodbye. It terrified her to no end, and she could never face that day with her head up. If it were to come, it would end her. Her family was everything to her. She had lost Chloe once. She could not in a million years do it again.

Beca turned in her wife's arms. "I don't tell you enough how thankful I am to have you, for you being beside me."

"Becs, we made a vow. For better or for worse, for two-year contract or for free agency."

Beca chuckled, tip-toeing and pecking her wife's forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too," Chloe returned. "Always. Now, I'm going to bathe the kids and get them ready to meet everyone."

"Okay, I have to go into town, you know. It's been a long time since-"

Chloe smiled, cupping the brunette's cheek. "Go see them, Baby Love. We'll wait for you."

"Thanks."

With a chaste kiss, the couple re-entered the house. Beca kissed her three children, letting Emmett know she would be back shortly, before leaving the house in the Lincoln. She made her way through Barden, making one quick stop before ending up at a vaguely familiar place. She had been in Barden nearly a year ago, but she had not been here in a very long time, years. It was not as though she had forgotten it. Far from it. In fact, the reasoning still baffled her to this day. It was that she was afraid. The visits here had come increasingly harder when in theory, they should have become easier. Either way, she knew that now was as good a time as any. She parked her car and stepped off, making her way through the familiar aisles until she reached the correct place. With a soft smile, she settled down.

"Hey, Mom," she whispered, setting down the first bouquet of flowers in her hand then the second. "Hey, Dad." She kissed each headstone lightly. "I, uh, I know that it's been awhile since I've been here. Uh, three years is a long time. I-I mean, you haven't met your grandkids yet, but-well, it was too hard for me, you know. I didn't - know how to face you when I just kept failing. It was hard, you know. I didn't want you to see me - like this, but - I don't know what to do anymore, Dad. I just don't. I love the game, but - it's so much pressure, you know. You can't just play. You have standards to meet and records to break, and - they don't care about you. Coach Jackson and Coach Evans cared about me. These coaches drop me like yesterday's paper, and it's nothing to them. That's hard. I don't know how to just - play anymore because I'm so scared to fail, because I know if I do, I get another strike. Soon enough, there are no more chances. You know, your grandson, the oldest one, he - he gets so excited when he sees me on the field. I - I just want to make him proud, and - well, he's only three, but - telling him I failed is like - running a blade through my own chest. I just don't want to let anyone down."

Her stepfather heard her. He always had. In that moment, a wave of serenity washed over her. She released a shaky breath as it relaxed her, her hands running along the tombstone lightly. She thought back through every memory, and it were as if he was trying to remind her. It played like a movie now. She could hear him saying that nothing mattered more than the game. When she lost sight of that, there was nothing left to play for. How had it come to this? How had she gone so cold in a sport that she had once been built for. She wasn't any slower. She wasn't any smaller. She just didn't understand it. No, she did. She tried too hard. She didn't follow her blocks. She tried to make big plays and ended up getting nothing. She didn't trust her team. She tried to carry them, be the star. It wasn't the fame or the ego that drove her to this. It was the constant need to be the best, to shut down every skeptic and critic that said she wouldn't last in the league. It was to prove those that had trusted her right. She only wanted to be good enough, but in that attempt, she had failed. Aside from that, there had been another incident that now prevented her from recovering. The question now was, how could she let go?

"I understand now," she breathed. "I know what to do, but - how?"

And the answer came through her mind instantly.

_"...First and foremost, you have to believe in yourself."_

* * *

When Beca and her family entered the now expanded, storied diner, the first person to rush forth was of course Penny. The elderly woman squealed with childish delight as always. It had been a long time since she had least seen Beca, and she missed the brunette dearly. With the diner blowing up and getting a chain due to the brunette's sponsorship, the elder wasn't able to visit as much as she would like. Jessica, Denise, Ashley, Luke and CR did help a lot at the diner now, and Lily was their accountant as well as the label's. However, Penny just refused to step back. Beca kissed the small woman's temple as she wrapped her arms around her.

"Beca!" she cried, tears running down her face. "How are you, honey?"

"Hey, Grandma Penny," she replied with a smile. "I'm okay."

"I missed you so much."

"We missed you too, but you have a couple people to meet."

"Oh, yes! I haven't met my two new babies yet. Where are they!"

Beca moved aside to reveal the dual stroller where Isaiah and Peyton lay, looking around curiously. Another gleeful squeak escaped Penny as she leaned down and tickled their chins.

"G-g-gamma!" Emmett cheered when he saw the old woman.

"Oh, look at my big boy!" she shrieked as he rushed into her arms.

"H-h-hi, G-g-gamma. I-I-I th-this m-m-many!" He held up three fingers as she embraced him.

"Yes, you are. You are so big."

"Hey, Mister!" Another voice spoke from behind them.

Emmett peered around Penny to see both of his grandmothers, Lauren and Emily. They stood in front of the table where the rest of the family was settled. He squealed again and bounded towards them as they squatted down, throwing his arms around both of their necks as best as he could. They ruffled his hair and kissed his head while Beca and Chloe greeted the others. The twins were seen for the first time by all save for the Conrads, and they were enchanted. Once Emmett was handed off to his Aunt Allie, Lauren and Emily each picked up a twin.

"Look at you!" Beca chuckled as she hugged Amy, who had dropped at least seventy pounds since their last meeting.

"You look amazing!"

"Yeah," the blonde drawled, "but this didn't help my overactive boyfriend situation."

"I'm sure it didn't."

"Look at them!" Emily squealed as she swapped Peyton for Isaiah, running a hand through the little girl's red tuffs of hair. "They are so precious."

"How the hell did you manage that?" Luke asked.

"What?" Beca asked.

"That one has red hair and one has brown."

"Magic fingers I guess," Beca shrugged as the table snorted, and Allie swatted her shoulder.

"You wish, B," Allie smirked.

"Auntie Chloe!" all of the other children chimed. "Uncle B!"

Beca gave each adult at the table an unimpressed look, but they only laughed as she greeted each of the children.

"Okay, where is she?" Beca asked at the end of the row. "Where's my niece I have yet to meet, and please tell me she doesn't look like her dad."

The table chuckled as Beca located the infant girl and picked her up gingerly. Curly brunette hair was what she was met with and bright brown eyes. She smiled, lightly tapping the little girl's nose which elicited a joyous giggle.

"Nope, you definitely look like your dad," she whispered.

"Hey! My daughter is beautiful, and my son is handsome!" Jesse defended.

Beca smirked. "Okay, fine, Swanson. My niece is pretty adorable and so is my nephew." She looked down at the girl again. "Hey, Paige. Hi. At least you have your mom's eyes."

"We have the same eye color!" This earned another round of laughter.

Chloe and Beca sat down at the table beside Allie and Sarah. It had been much too long since they had all been together and even longer since they had been together in Penny's. The last one to visit New York was Luke, and he had only been able to stay a few days with the studio being so busy. Beca and Chloe had planned to make it for Thanksgiving, but Beca had a game, and before everyone could choose to head to New York, a large snowstorm had hit and grounded all flights for a week. Had the Jets not invested in a dome the year prior and had the Giants been any further, the game would have been cancelled as well. Christmas had Beca traveling to Dallas to play, and her wife and children had gone too. In addition to that, Donald had also been playing through the final stretch, but like the Jets, the Bucs had also missed the playoffs. This had left no visits since the prior summer, and for a family that was once inseparable, it was very difficult.

"So, B, how's New York?" Michelle asked as they settled in.

"Ugh, congested and busy," Beca replied. "I mean, it's cool to visit. You know, Central Park and Madison Square Garden and all, but - no. I can't wait to get out of there really."

"You're leaving?" Allie asked, and Beca remembered that no one was informed yet.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, they're - releasing me."

"Oh, Becs, what now?"

"I'm not sure yet, but - I really don't wanna talk business today."

Allie nodded slowly before returning to sipping her drink.

"Well, guess what, B," Leah piped up, sensing the oncoming tension.

"What's up, Bug?" Beca asked, smiling at the girl.

"I signed up to play football next year."

"Oh, really! That's great, kid. I'll definitely try to make some games."

"Yeah, I - Mama has been practicing with me, and so has Jesse and Luke."

"Now, that's good practice to have. You're gonna be great, kid."

"I - I'm gonna get number 21 like you."

Beca grinned wide. "That's my girl. Maybe we can play a little while I'm here."

The little girl lit up instantly. "Really?"

"Of course. I've been waiting to teach you the ropes since you were born."

"P-pay f-football, Ma-Ma-Mama?" Emmett asked now, settling in her lap.

"That's right, Son," she replied, and he smiled.

"What did they say about his speech?" Sarah whispered now.

"They said to give him time," she sighed, leaning over towards her aunt. "I don't know. I mean, he's already three, and it worries me a little, but they said that if it's still going on when he's set to start school, he'll be put in special classes. Thing is, I don't know if-"

"Well, you can always get him a personal therapist, Becs, one that will make house calls."  
Beca nodded, looking down at her son. "It'll be fine. He'll be fine. _We'll_ be fine."

She only nodded, knowing that her niece was under a lot of pressure. She would surely tackle it head on later because no matter how old Beca became, she was always their little girl in their eyes. The family had always been there, through years of trials and tribulations, struggles and hardships. In the end, she knew they would always remain. Therefore, right now, all Beca wanted and needed was her family. She wanted to relax with them awhile before she decided what to do with her career.

* * *

**_A/N: Okay...So! Here it is! The most anticipated fan fic of the year lol no im kidding, but still. I've received many messages, many reviews, my ask box has filled, and Ive had Twitter DMs about it. I finally was struck with some inspiration, so if you know what it is, here you go! Now I will be basing update speed based on reviews because I feel that with the demand for this story, it shouldn't be hard at all. So you know, without further ado, here we go now. Let me know if you're ready for this_**


	2. Face Your Fears

**_A/N: Okay so man! I mean, the following is crazy. The views were super crazy. Im glad that you all enjoy it so far. To those who left reviews, thank you so very much. I know it was a long time coming, but I have to keep watching football to keep myself focused. Im also working on a collab fic though, so there's that plus the triple treble story set to upload after I get through the majority of this. As always, if you have suggestions, feel free to let me know! I have the playing situation worked out, and there a couple of main details I have, but any fluff moments, things like that. If you have anything you wanna see. I know someone requested to see Aubrey and Stacie get together so here that is. Okay so here we go, and I'll see you guys in 20 reviews. Once again, thank you very much!_**

**_ALSO I don't know if the review was on this one or on the note I left in "Rebel With a Voice" but yes, I have finally finished upgrading my Tumblr. It is now under romeothewriter_**

**_Brookester27: It's been four years since they they've graduated college so Leah is now eight years old._**

**_And KendrickWorshipper my Twitter is realsinnerfrost. Its my music artist monicker so..._**

* * *

_Don't you worry._

_You'll find yourself._

_Follow you heart,_

_and nothing else._

_You can do this,_

_if you try._

_All that I want for you my son,_

_is to be satisfied._

_And be a simple kind of man._

_Be something you love and understand._

_Be a simple kind of man._

_Won't you do this for me son,_

_If you can?_

* * *

_"Stacie? What are you doing here? It's-" She consulted her watch. "late."_

_The tall brunette shifted from side to side, foot to foot, nervously before bouncing on the balls of her feet, her hands clasped behind her back. _

_"Uh, hey, Aubrey. Um, I was wondering if I - well would you - I mean...I just-"_

_"Stacie." _

_The brunette's eyes snapped up, and for the first time, Aubrey registered what was written within them, a deep lack of confidence and - fear? Yes, this was new. This was different. What was happening? The blonde scrutinized her for a long moment before the brunette's eyes dropped to her shoes once more, her body continuing to fidget in place. Aubrey quirked an eyebrow, not sure what was going on. It was nearly eleven thirty at night, and Stacie had scared the hell out of her. She had been home alone, her mother out of town on business, beginning to pack up her belongings for the dorms when the door bell had rung. They were due at Barden in two weeks, and she had much to do. Now Stacie stood there on her porch looking very nervous, and the blonde completely forgot about her checklist and order of luggage. She could only focus on how breathtaking the brunette always looked even now in baggy, scarlet sweats and a faded black tanktop, her chocolate locks swept up in a messy bun._

_"Stacie, are you - okay?"_

_"I just - I -" She huffed in exasperation, throwing her hands up in the air. "Ugh, why can't I figure this out?"_

_"Hey." Aubrey now stepped forward, taking her hand carefully and giving it a squeeze. "It's okay. Just tell me."_

_"I - I don't know how."_

_"Is it the housing arrangement? Did you - want a different roommate?" _

_Aubrey's face fell at the thought, and Stacie caught it. "What? No, God no that isn't - I mean-"_

_"Did something happen?"_

_"No, I just - I-"_

_"Is something wrong?"_

_The brunette sighed heavily again. "I just - I couldn't sleep and just got out of bed and came here looking a hot mess because I - I need to tell you something. I mean, ask you, but I - don't know how, and I just - ugh."_

_The corners of Aubrey's mouth twitched. The taller woman was adorable when she was nervous, and it was Aubrey's the first time seeing it. She was beautiful, yes, and the blonde had mentally acknowledged this long ago. For the brunette's sake, Aubrey decided on an alternate approach._

_"Well," she said cautiously, taking another step forward. "Can you - show me?"_

Stacie's eyes suddenly lit up, and before Aubrey could question it, Stacie's hands were cupping her face as the brunette surged forward and connected their lips in a bruising and passionate kiss. The blonde gasped before she gripped the taller woman's elbows, melting into the kiss. When they parted for air, she was lightheaded, and it took her a moment to recover. She found a blushing Stacie with the same goofy look she was sure she was sporting, the brunette leaning forward to rest her forehead on Aubrey's.

_"Stace, um, not that I'm complaining, but - what - what was that?"_

_"Well, I wanted to ask you out, but - I didn't know how."_

_"What?" Her eyes bulged. "Me?"_

_The brunette rolled her eyes. "No, Bree, of course not. The other gorgeous blond I just kissed."_

_Aubrey's cheeks now flushed a deep scarlet. "I - you want-"_

_"I want to date you, Aubrey. I want to hold your hand and - and I wanna share a dorm with you but also a bed, and - I wanna kiss you all of the time because your lips are super soft, and I guessed that before today, but I hope you don't think I'm creepy. I just really wanted to kiss you because I know you get a bit wound up, but you are so beautiful and passionate, and I have never felt like this about anyone, and I know you probably think that I'm a bit of a hunter, but I'm really not. At least I won't be if I have you because I really like you, and I can't pretend I don't anymore, and I'm sorry if this is too much, but I really want-"_

_The brunette was cut off by the blonde's lips now with a chaste kiss, leaving Stacie silent. _

_"Stace, slow down. What are you asking me exactly?"_

_The brunette huffed. "Will you be my girlfriend?"_

_And the blonde smiled. "Yes. Yes, I will. On one condition."_

_"Anything."_

_"_**_You _**_tell my sister."_

_Stacie's eyes bulged. "Huh?"_

* * *

"What are you doing, Baby?" Stacie asked as she came up behind her wife, running her hands down the blonde's chest before resting her chin atop her head lightly. "It's midnight."

The blonde huffed in exasperation. "You should see all of these tweets. It's been what? A month? The season's been over almost a month, and it's still trending."

"What's still trending?"

"#HangItUpMitchell."

"Are you serious?"

"Dixie Chicks Serious."

"Has she seen it?"

"No, she hasn't, and I don't think I want her to."

"Well, what do they say? The tweets."

Aubrey picked up the papers that had just been spit out of the printer, handing them to her wife tentatively. Stacie scanned over them attentively, her face falling with each new addition before she was just about seething at the words, the edges of the papers crumpling in her grasp.

_ JTimmons42: I think it's time for SmashMitchell21 to hang it up. You made history, Kid, but not all of us are made for this league #HangItUpMitchell_

_ FRigley25: SmashMitchell21 proved that women DO play football. Women just don't play NFL football LOL #HangItUpMitchell_

_ MoneyReynolds: Keep your head up, Kid. Your luck just ran out is all. #HangItUpMitchell_

_ GShaw32: Stop embarrassing yourself, Ma. It's time to quit before you really get hurt. Do us all a favor. Go lay it down with that fine ass redhead you got at home haha. If not, you can have my spot, and I'll take that #HangItUpMitchell_

_ EversLB: SmashMitchell21 quit while you're ahead. Rookie of the Year is a good award to get, but not all of us have the longevity for the big leagues especially after that hit you took here in Carolina. You haven't been the same since. Sorry haha NOT sorry #HangItUpMitchell_

_ChrisHammond34: I think too many coaches gave in to the SmashMitchell21 hype. Do not be the next victim. Time for an early retirement babygirl #HangItUpMitchell_

_TRichter: She didn't win a championship, but she married that gorgeous redhead. Take that as a victory and hang up the cleats, SmashMitchell21. No shame in your game #HangItUpMitchell_

_ DMarshall: I told them she was all hype back then. I'll say it again. Girls don't play football. All that talk can't help you now Stud #HangItUpMitchell_

_ JNichols42: Haha I think we broke her here in Carolina. Time to put it down, Mitchell. This sport gave you more than you deserved. You're washed up. #HangItUpMitchell_

"That's only the tip of the iceburg," Aubrey informed her, rubbing her eyes viciously.

"Ugh, this is sickening," Stacie huffed, throwing down the stack. "Fucking Devin Marshall."

"I know," Aubrey sighed. "I just - I don't know what else to do. San Diego isn't going to take the deal. Neither are the Packers, the Vikings, the Giants, the Dolphins or even the fucking Raiders. I mean, the only good news Beca's been given is that she won't be playing for Seattle." Stacie chortled. "I cut it down to 100K for one year, and those teams wouldn't even take that."

"So now what?"

"She may not want to retire from the NFL, but I really don't see an out here."

"Baby, you can't give up too. You know how much she loves this game."

"I know, but there's only so much I can do if everyone else has given up on us."

"Let's just give it time, okay? We have a couple months before training camp. Maybe we can work out something with the Cardinals or the Buccaneers. If anything, we can try and convince her to go into the arena with Luke and Jesse. At least for a year. She gets back into it there, and we try to get something going after that."

"Well, let's hope so. We don't have much else to consider."

"Have faith, Baby." Stacie lightly pressed a kiss to her lips. "Now come on. Bed now."

"I'm not tired."

The brunette smirked now. "Who said anything about sleep, Mrs. Conrad?"

The blonde now smiled coyly, standing up with haste. "Oh."

* * *

"Go long!"

Leah rushed down the field as Beca cocked back, airing out a pass down the seam of Smash Mitchell Stadium in Barden. It had been awhile since Beca had been on this field, and it had changed immensely with renovations and upgrades. Since she had been in town, they had spent a significant amount of time on the green however. She had put a lot of money into the high school and college field alike as an Alumni, and it was beautiful. Leah reeled in the pass before coming to a stop, trotting back towards where Jesse, Beca, Donald and Luke stood. Emmett was running around with his own football against Anthony, Isaac, Baron and Darren. They had decided to come out and throw the ball around, little Leah excited about finally playing with her cousin.

"Nice catch, kid," Beca grinned, ruffling her hair. "You're too quick."

"Yeah, just like you, B," she replied proudly.

"Yeah, once upon a time."

"Hey, you're still fast. You just have to feel it again."

"I hope that I can."

"You can, B. You just have to believe in yourself."

"Well, let's see, Mate," Luke now urged. "Go long."

Beca smirked, tossing him the ball before rushing down the field. Luke aired it out, hitting her across the center of the field. She reeled it in before running into the end zone. Leah cheered happily, throwing up her hands in triumph.

"Still got it, Mate!" Luke yelled.

"Still got it," Beca sighed with a smirk.

While they continued to play catch, Chloe and Allie sat up in the bleachers watching. The elder had been surveying the redhead discreetly all afternoon. She had been there since the beginning of the Mitchell - Beale relationship of course, and she had learned how to read Chloe just as well as she could read Beca. They were both equally her babies in her eyes, and after a decade, she could still interpret their reservations. She was only glad that their communication had greatly improved since high school. Nonetheless, they still needed insight at certain intervals albeit unspoken.

"How is she?" Allie asked, eyes trained on the field.

"She's - conflicted," the redhead sighed, hands clasped before her. "She hasn't been performing since - you know."

There was a pause. "What about you, Chlo? And don't bullshit me."

"I'm - okay. I just want her to be happy."

"But are _you_ happy?"

"I'm happy. Being with the kids and having her home as much as she can be. I don't have anymore reservations about the life, you know. If she isn't working, she's home. No overactive drinking, no groupies, no bullshit. She's dedicated to us, to this family, and you know that's all I could ever ask for. I just didn't want to repeat that first year of college, and we haven't. She's been amazing, and Emmett certainly helps to keep her grounded."

"Yeah. Well, has she talked about the idea of retirement?"

"No. I know she's been putting music on the back burner, but she wants to play. I just don't know what more can be done. We've talked about it so much, about why she hasn't been up to par, but you know her. She doesn't realize there's a problem until it's too late."

"Yeah, I know. I think she just has to get back to the basics, remember why she's playing in the first place. She needed to come home."

"Yeah, she did. I think this will be good for her."

"Yeah, well I'll talk to her. I think she has a lot to confront before she plays anymore pro ball."

"I think you're right."

"You know, you _do_ have a say, Chloe. Maybe it's okay now, but the moment it's ever _not _okay, you have to tell her. You have to let her know how you feel."

"I know. I can't blame her though. I still love seeing her play as much as I did ten years ago. It hasn't changed. I know she still has some spark left in her, and I want to see her do her best. Yes, she had a great first year, but I know that she has yet to reach her full potential. I want to see her retire at the top of her game, not quit when she still hasn't played her best game. I know she has it. She just has to get over her fear."

"Yeah, I think you're right. I wanna see it too, and I know that her parents do. She's come too far to go out like this."

"Exactly."

Once the family concluded their outing on the field, Beca walked her wife and son back to the car in the lot.

"I'll meet you at Aunt Allie's," she assured Chloe after buckling Emmett in, wrapping her arms around her wife's waist.

"Okay, where are you going?" the redhead asked, putting her arms around Beca's neck.

"To see Grandma Penny. Check in on her, you know."

"Okay. We're gonna stop by my mom's. She just got in from Pittsburgh, and she's barely seen the kids since we've been here. I'll pick up the twins from Mama Lauren's."

"Okay, Babe. I'll see you in a bit."

She pressed a soft kiss to the brunette's lips now. "I love you."

Beca smiled. "I love you too, Baby. Be safe."

"You too. Tell Grandma Penny we say hi."

When Beca entered the diner, she could hear Penny squealing in the back as the lunch rush concluded, the dense crowd now dwindling. She made her way into the kitchen, removing her beanie from her head due to the heat in the restaurant. Many people greeted her with high fives and pats on the back. It was one of the top perks of being home. No matter how well she did, or didn't do, her hometown was always behind her. She could always count on her old friends and familiar diner patrons for a few words of encouragement.

"Hey, Smash," the kitchen crew greeted, the girls in a dreamy tone.

"Hey, everyone," she replied with a smile. "How are we doing today?"

"Good."

"Hey, you know the Smash Burger is still our top hit?" Ty, one of the elder cooks asked with a smirk. "People come from far and wide for the basket."

"I don't see why," Beca snorted. "It's a simple bacon cheeseburger with fries stuck in it."

"Yeah, but it's the same reason people buy Wheaties, right?"

"Kinda, I guess. I doubt it's the same level of nutrition though."

"You know what I'm mean."

She patted his shoulder with a smile. "Yeah, I do, Ty."

"Miss Penny just went into the office," Kennedy, a younger waitress, informed her.

"Thanks."

The brunette proceeded through the kitchen to the back office where Penny had just collapsed into her desk chair, running a hand through her fluffy grey hair. Beca smiled as she entered. The elder looked up, and the distress from moments ago evaporated.

"Becs, hey!" she sighed.

"Hey, Grandma Penny," Beca replied, moving to stand before her as she made to get up. "No, stay in your seat. It's okay."

Beca leaned down, pressing her lips to the woman's forehead as Penny patted her shoulders.

"Now, don't start fussing over me, Beca Mitchell," Penny chided lightly.

"Me? Never," the brunette smirked. "How are you though? And _don't _try to lie to me, Woman."

The elder giggled. "Oh, Becs. I'm doing just fine. My only enemy is time, but age is always on my side. I make the best of it."

"Well, don't you think it's time to get some rest, Grandma Penny?"

"I'll rest when I'm dead."

"I mean, but you're working 24/7. I think that you should take it easy."

"Beca, sit down." The brunette grabbed a chair from the opposite side of the desk, pulling it around to sit down in front of Penny without hitch.

"Now listen here. I know I'm old. No one has to tell me that, but I've been building this diner all of my life. I love it. I love being here, being around everyone, watching everyone age with me. Growing up in here. This diner is the reason that I have my family, all of you."

"Grandma, you know we would still visit if-"

"Now, I know that. I do. I know I would still have my grandchildren and great grandchildren. I don't deny that one bit, but as tired as I am, I'm not ready to throw in the towel. I don't want to live the rest of my life sitting at home, sleeping in late, baking cookies." Beca chuckled.

"Hey, I understand that, but your great grandkids want you around, you know. Emmett and Anthony and Leah and Darren and Nico and Kiely. They love you more than anything. You don't know how much Emmett used to ask for you before we came home. They want you around for as long as possible, to watch them grow up. Even if you don't want to spend the rest of your life sitting at home, it's better than laying in a hospital bed. Honestly, you can just be the babysitter, and I promise you that our kids won't let you sleep in late."

She giggled. "Oh, I'm sure. I know that they wouldn't. Still, Becs, my work is my livelihood. The way that football is for you, the diner is for me."

"Grandma, it isn't the same. I mean, I - well, I-"

"Beca, are you going to sit here and tell me that if you could play football forever, you wouldn't?"

"Well, no I - I would. I mean-"

"Okay, then."

"But that's different."

"No, honey. The only difference is the fact that I can still do my job, but I doubt I could play football at this age." Beca laughed once more. "As long as I'm able to walk, I'm going to come to work. Until the day I can no longer get out of bed, I want to continue living the dream. My dream. Yes, that means I still want to run around with the kids, but I also want to be the face of this place. I want everyone to know that when they come in here, there will be no problems because I'm here."

"I get it, but you have a lot of help. Amy, CR, Ashley. They're here. We just think that you should take it easy. Work just a little bit less."

"I know my limits, Honey. I promise that I do. I get my rest."

"But you're stressing, and you need to take it easy. The doctor said that your chance of stroke keeps increasing. Just slow down. You have way too much help to be slaving."

"Becs, is that what you're doing? Slowing down? Is that why you refuse to show the game what you can do because I've seen that halfback out there the last three years. That isn't you. That isn't the Smash Mitchell that led us to three state championships or four BCS championship."

"Grandma Penny, I-"

"No, you listen here. You're scared. You've been scared. Ever since you took that hit against those damned Panthers, you have never recovered."

Beca now cringed, flashbacks plaguing her mind. Though she had never wanted to admit it, she knew that Penny spoke truth. In her second season with the Falcons, the team had traveled to Carolina to play their division counterparts, the Panthers, in week six. During the game, Beca had suffered a nasty concussion where Trey Evers and none other than Jason Nichols, her old Dawson safety rival, had each come from opposite ends of the field, both of their helmets colliding with each side of hers. Yes, penalties were assessed and monetary fines were enforced, but that did not expunge the damage done to Beca. Ever since then, she had shied away from bigger hits, shied away from hits altogether really and jeopardized her game. In turn, the hit had caused her to stop depending on blocks, and she would run wild around the field until she was able to get out of bounds. She tried so hard to make things happen alone, and ironically, she had made everything fall apart. She knew this, but everyone debunked her descent to general fear. She refused to allow it to play as an excuse however, and she had never confronted the issue whether it be with herself or anyone else. The truth was that the hit had struck fear deep in her heart that she had yet to subconsciously overcome.

"Yes, it was scary," Penny now went on, pulling Beca from her reverie as she grabbed her hand. "Trust me. we know. It was hideously terrifying, but it wasn't the worst thing that you have gone through. Why did it scare you?"

Beca sighed. "Grandma, I'm not-"

"No, don't you lie to me, Mitchell. I'll take it easy when you no longer do."

The brunette smirked now but instantly sobered with the expectant look on the elder's face. "I - I don't know what scares me. I've been hit before. You're right. I've blown out my knee and a bunch of other stuff, but - I don't know. I guess it's the fact that I finally realize how many players out there want me to fail. I'm afraid the next hit is going to be harder and harder, and I'm not that kid I was anymore. I have a family, responsibility, and these guys are out for blood."

"Okay, but, Becs, that's a choice that must be made. Either take the risk or take a hike. You can't keep playing football and be afraid of it. Don't you understand that you're letting them win by being afraid of them? I guarantee you that they were lucky on that play. Your tight end, Andrews, ran a button hook instead of a slant. He was supposed to block Evers across the middle so that you could cut right, and he ran the wrong route. Nichols was already coming across, and your wideout, Mendez, was already engaged with Crawford, the cornerback. Bradley ran his route correctly, but he was twenty yards downfield by the time he realized the mishap. They got lucky."

Beca raised an eyebrow. "How did you-"

"Becs, I studied that play for the last two years. I was just waiting to see if you figured it out yourself. Chloe said that you've been watching that film night after night." Beca's jaw clenched. How did Chloe know she watched it on her iPad? "You haven't dried out. That isn't it. You're afraid to let loose, but I guarantee you that if you take that risk again, no one's going to catch you. Unleash the speed, and they won't touch you like that ever again."

"Yeah, well who knows now? I don't even have a team."

"Hey, give it time. It's only February. Let's see what we can do, huh?"

"I just - I don't know, Grandma Penny. I'm old news now."

"You're only old news when you stop giving them something to talk about. Give them something to talk about. You're no quitter, Beca Mitchell. If you were, none of us would be where we are now, you understand?"

"Yeah, I guess I do."

"Alright then. Well, buckle down and get it done. In the mean time, I promise to somehow work in two days off per week."

The brunette's eyebrow raised higher. "Had you been planning this conversation?"

Penny smiled, patting her arm. "For two years now, Honey."

"You were willing to have a stroke in order to teach me a lesson, Grandma Penny?"

"I was willing to die and come back to teach you a lesson. Someone had to do it."

Beca chuckled, standing and pulling the woman into her arms. "You're a crazy old woman, Grandma Penny."

"Eh, at this age, I'd bet I am."

"But it's a good thing I guess."

"It sure is nifty."

* * *

After dinner that night, Beca helped Chloe put their children to bed before retiring to their own room. The brunette wrapped her wife up in her arms, pulling her closer as the redhead melted into the embrace. After a decade, Beca's simple touch still managed to drive her crazy. They had been through a slew of goods, bads and uglies, and the little things had become the biggest rewards. Marrying your high school sweetheart was the ideal dream for girls like Chloe, a cliche through and through, but marrying Beca Mitchell was anything but orthodox.

"Did you talk to Grandma Penny?" Chloe asked, reaching down to intertwine their fingers.

"Yup," Beca sighed, nuzzling into the velvet red locks.

"Is she going to slow down?"

"She said she would as long as I stop being a bitch. Well, it wasn't in so many words, but that's my blunt way of putting it."

Chloe giggled, reaching back to smack her arm. "You're not a bitch, Baby. You just got a bit shaken up is all."

"Yeah, two years ago."

"Yeah, and it took you two years to realize it."

"So - you knew too then?"

"Of course I knew, Becs. I'm your wife."

"And no one thought to tell me a bit sooner maybe?"

"We babied you too long. We needed you to stop being so dense for once."

"I just - man, I really _am _a bitch for that one."

"Hey, not many people have been hit that way. Why do you think the fine they paid was so large? That isn't supposed to happen, Babe."

"Still. It had to be me, you know. The one player in the league that everyone's trying to stomp out no matter what it takes."

"Yes, but not every player is planning to do it like that."

"I just - look, I was afraid. I admit it, but I need to overcome it. I can't leave it like this."

Chloe turned around now to place a hand on her wife's cheek, her eyes meeting dark blue orbs. "Then, Baby Love, don't leave it like this. You still have it. I know you do. I see it in your eyes. You're frustrated? Show them that. Show them you're not done yet. You have more heart than half of the league combined. You have never played for the money or for someone else's failure. You played for you, for us, for your dad. I know you have what it takes to play with those men. I was a skeptic in college, yes. There were some hits that made me cry, but I grew out of it because of that look in your eyes. It let me know that you could handle it as well as anyone else if not better. You're afraid of getting hit, Baby, but I promise you that if you play your game, no one's going to get close enough to hit you like that again."

"That's what Grandma Penny said."

"And she's right."

"I -" She looked away a moment now, her arm tightening around Chloe's waist. "Chlo, how - are you okay with me staying in the league?"

"Of course I am, Becs."

"I just - I don't want you to feel like - you have to keep moving, and that...I mean, if you don't want to, you can tell me. You-"

"Beca, there's that fear again. I know what you're afraid of. Don't be. If I had any doubts in my mind about this, I wouldn't have married you or had three beautiful kids with you. Yes, once again, I was skeptical in college. I wasn't sure that I could handle this life, but I think we both overcame our issues that we had at the time. I was wrong, and I tried to lie to myself for so long. Here's the truth though. I was and forever will be in love with you, Beca Mitchell, and now, I just want you to be happy."

"But I want _you_ to be happy too."

"Baby, I _am _happy. I love seeing you play. I love seeing our son get so excited when you go out on that field. Plus, you're not who you were as a college freshmen. You haven't allowed the league to get to you. You make time for us, both me and the kids, and that's all that I could ask for. I love the way that light shines in your eyes each time that whistle blows. I want that old energy back though. I want you to take it all of the way and make them pay for doubting you because I know you can do it. We all know that you can. We believe in you. You just need a good supporting cast as well, you know, and first and foremost? You need to believe in yourself."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I'm positive. I love this life no matter where it takes us. As long as I have my family, _our _family, I am perfectly fine."

Beca paused a moment before smirking. "Old energy, huh?"

The redhead giggled. "Yes, the old energy."

"What does that entail exactly?"

"Oh, I don't know. Why don't you demonstrate your guess, and I'll grade you?"

"Deal."

Beca captured her wife's lips in a searing kiss now, her hand sliding under her nightgown. After ten years, Chloe remained the most beautiful woman in Beca's eyes. Her eyes were still crystal blue like a thousand oceans lay behind them, and her hair was still the most vibrant fiery red that she could imagine. The redhead entangled her fingers in chocolate tresses, allowing Beca's tongue to snake into her mouth and elicit a soft moan. As Beca's digits traced the hem of her underwear, she gently bit down on the brunette's lower lip, giving it a firm tug. Beca gasped, moving closer and pressing her knee against her wife's center. Chloe now whimpered at the contact, pulling her wife impossibly closer by the back of her neck. She then rolled them over, straddling the shorter woman as her lips trailed down the brunette's neck. Beca's hands slid inside of her underwear now, massaging the skin there. She then pulled off the nightgown in a swift motion, the redhead detaching their lips long enough to allow the action. She unclasped her own bra, tossing it aside before leaning down to reattach their lips. Her hands slid beneath Beca's tanktop, running up and down her taut abdomen. The brunette continued to caress every inch of her wife's body, creating sounds that made her toes curl. Even after all of these years, the effects they had on one another were still extraordinary. Chloe still shuddered with mirth under Beca's touch, and in turn, Beca continued to turn to mush in Chloe's hands. The love remained after a decade, and in her heart, the brunette knew that her wife was here to stay. Nevertheless, she continued to do her best to keep her wife satisfied. Yes, once upon a time, she had lost sight of that, but she had stayed true to her vow of never doing so again. This was all that Chloe cared about. As long as her wife relentlessly proceeded to show her and their children that she cared, she could never stray, never leave. She only needed Beca's heart there even when the rest of her body was across the country or on the field. As long as this remained consistent, she would never leave the brunette's side again.

"I love you," Beca breathed against her lips.

"I love you too," she replied.


	3. End of the Line

**_A/N: Okay, Im posting today because tomorrow and the next day may or may not be SUPER hectic, so here this is. So, is everyone on board with me here? I mean, the first chapter came out and there was immediately a big following, but everyone's a bit quiet. Is it not what you expected or...I mean, this was a crowd pleaser. I put it up specifically for the demand, for the fact everyone was asking for it, but I can move on into the other story I was working on if you would like. I mean, if its not what you had hoped for. I understand. I had problems finding a plot for it so its understandable. That's fine. I would just like to know because it seems like this isn't what everyone thought it would be. Anyway, just let me know._**

**_Guests regarding Staubrey flashbacks: Okay, so what I can do is go ahead and finish out the flashback. Just know that the ending of that is in "If You Could See Me now" where Beca gives Stacie the talk, but I get what you mean. Fill in the middle. You got it. I can definitely do that lol. Uh next chapter just because this one is already done, so end of next chapter, i have a mitchsen moment. Ill let them reminisce on it, and I'll reiterate the little part from part II, add some more detail to it. Thank you guys for the idea! Keep them coming! I know we skipped a few years so. I did however write some fun texts on Tumblr. Some Chloe-Beca text msgs if you're interested in that. based on this universe so. there's only a few right now, but im still going_**

**_Kate: Yes, I can definitely add in some Staubrey sexy times lol_**

**_Charisma123: Thanks for asking. My birthday is Dec. 17th so Tuesday lol_**

* * *

_Beca picked up her helmet, grasping the face mask tightly in her hand._

_"You're going to do great, Kiddo," her stepfather assured her, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "Don't let these boys intimidate you."_

_"But - what if they're mean to me, Dad?" she asked with a sigh, feeling the adrenaline begin to course through her body. "What if they start trouble?"_

_"Hey, remember what I said, Babygirl. We don't fight with our hands. We-"_

_"Fight with our legs."_

_"Exactly, so if they have something to say, challenge them to a foot race. I guarantee you that after that, they'll either shut the hell up, or -"_

_"Anything else they say will be irrelevant."_

_"That's my girl. Now come on. Let's go."_

_"You're gonna stay?"_

_"Of course, Baby. First practice. I'll be here."_

Beca followed the man onto the field now, her knuckles sheet white as they further gripped her face mask. Darren greeted Coach Hawkins with a smile and a hand shake.

_"And this must be Beca," the man said warmly, patting her shoulder. "I'm Coach Hawkins. Your father told me so much about you."_

_Beca lit up instantly. Having her stepdad brag about her as his daughter was the best feeling in the world, and seeing the look of pride in his eyes now was enthralling._

"He did?" she asked.

_"Yes, he did," Hawkins assured her. "He says you have heart, and if you play anything like your old man here, you have a spot on my team any day."_

_"I can promise you that soon enough, she's gonna be better than me, Hawk," Darren assured him with a firm nod. "So you better take care of her. She's got a gift."_

_"Well, let's see it. Go ahead and go warm up with them, B. Just follow the leader."_

Beca stalked off towards the rows of boys now warming up. She pulled on her helmet, clicking her chin strap in place. 

_"Hey, is that a girl?" one boy asked now, looking back at her as she fell into the back row._

_"Yeah, it is," his companion snickered, catching the attention of others._

_"Girls don't play football," another snorted, and Beca just tuned them out though her anger boiled. "She's gonna get hurt and go cry to her mommy."_

_"Yeah, well, she's like a midget anyway," another added. "She could fit in my pocket."_

_The boys continued to whisper and snigger as they continued warm ups. Beca did just fine, following the lead with jumping jacks, push ups, running in place and dropping to the ground on the whistle before popping back up. She did the bear crawl on all fours twenty yards down the field and twenty yards back. She kept up with the team perfectly, and when the wind sprints started, she held back slightly but still kept up. Still, the boys spoke. One boy bumped into her shoulder roughly, pushing her aside and nearly knocking her to the grass while his friends chortled. She gained her footing, staring daggers into the back of the culprit's head. He turned around to find her glaring at him, and he smirked._

_"Aw, what's wrong, little girl?" he asked in a baby voice. "Did I hurt you? Are you gonna call your daddy over here now?"_

_"I don't need my dad to watch you get your ass kicked," she growled._

_Another boy pushed her forward now, nearly knocking her into the stocky boy. "My ass kicked?" He barked a laugh. "That's really cute. Why don't you go home and play with dolls or something?"_

_"Are you gonna let me borrow some of yours?" _

_Everyone ooh'd now, the boy taken aback. "What did you say?"_

_"You heard me. I didn't stutter. Or are you really as dumb as you look?"_

_He shoved her back now, and she tripped, falling on her rear end as laughter rang out._

_"Aw, now she's gonna cry, Derek," another boy told him._

_"Yeah, like the little baby that she is," Derek snorted._

_Beca stood up now, but before she could retaliate, Coach Hawkins was between them._

_"Everything alright over here?" he asked, looking sternly at Derek._

_"Yeah, Coach, it's fine," he replied innocently. "But why is there a girl on our field?"_

_"Beca is gonna be playing with us."_

_"Girls can't play football, Coach! They have tea parties and play with Barbie dolls."_

_"You would know, wouldn't you?" Beca smirked._

_"Yeah, because I have a little sister!"_

_"No you don't," another boy said, confused, and Derek sneered at him._

_"I guess you play all by yourself at those tea parties then," Beca now said._

_"Shut up, little girl!"_

_"Okay, guys, that's enough," Coach Hawkins reasoned. "Derek, behave. She's going to be playing with us. Give her a chance."_

_"Coach, girls do NOT play football. This is for boys. She should play volleyball or tennis or house or something."_

Beca's fists clenched, her vision beginning to gain a red tint, but before she could act on it, she looked over at her father. His eyes were trained on her, firm and unwavering. She flinched slightly at those piercing eyes, but she knew what he was trying to say. She turned back to Coach Hawkins and Derek, who continued to argue.

_"I'll prove I can play," Beca now said._

_"What?" the boy scoffed._

_"I can beat you in a race."_

_"No, you can't!"_

_"Then race me."_

_"I don't have to-"_

_"Come on, D, race her!" the other boys began to chime in._

_"Race her, D."_

_"Come on, Derek. Show her how it's done. You're the fastest on the team."_

_"Yeah, Derek, show her that girls can't beat boys in races."_

_Derek looked up at Coach Hawkins, but it wasn't for permission. It was to be saved from a challenge. Instead, Coach Hawkins smirked and patted Beca's shoulder._

_"Okay, let's have ourselves a race then!" he boomed._

_The boys hooted and hollared save for Derek and Beca, who continued to glower at each other. Coach Hawkins pulled both of them over to midfield. He had them strap on their helmets and put their mouthpieces in. The assistant coach, Coach Mays, gave each of them a ball to carry. _

_"Okay, first one to the end zone wins," he sighed. "Everyone else, line up as if you were on defense. Two rows. You have to try and stop them. If you strip the ball from them, they lose. If you tackle them, they lose. Now, Beca and Derek, you have to get past both rows."_

The boys cheered once more as they lined up across the field. Coach Hawkins patted each of the competitors' shoulders, Beca looking down to make sure her cleats were tied tightly. They were. She looked over to see her dad give her a thumbs up.

_"Okay, on my whistle," Coach Hawkins instructed._

_Beca put one foot forward, ready the way her stepfather had always taught her to do, the ball tucked securely in her left arm. She now focused on the two rows ahead of her. She was close enough to squeeze through that gap between the two men in each row. She knew this for sure. Her stepfather had practiced this with her as well, cutting through defenders. He had groomed her to be a runningback just like he had been at Notre Dame. The whistle then blew, and before anyone could blink, Beca had breezed past both rows of defenders. Two more cut up to try and catch her, but she stutter stepped one of them to the right before flying down the field. The other defender had no chance whatsoever. It was over the moment it begun. Beca was in the end zone before Derek could shake from his defenders. Still, he was not satisfied._

_"A hundred yards!" he yelled now. "No defenders! Just me and her!"_

_"You won, Beca," Coach Hawkins now said. "It's up to you."_

Beca didn't have to think twice. She never backed down from anything, and she nodded the moment the sentence left his lips. The two lined up at the end zone line, awaiting the other whistle as they caught their breath. The moment this whistle blew, Beca was off of the line, but she held back a bit. Her dad wanted her to fight with her legs, but she wanted revenge on this Derek boy for trying to humiliate her. She was going to prove to every boy on this field that she belonged here as much as anyone if not more. This was her sport now, and she had been taught by the very best.

_He passed her at midfield, chortling as he raced towards the end zone. At the twenty - yard line, Beca pulled out all of the stops and turned on the jets. With one blink of his eyes this time, Derek found himself looking at the back of Beca's practice jersey as she reached the end zone. He was back at the ten - yard - line. He had lost again. Beca didn't offer him a glance. Instead, she turned right back around and ran back. Some of the boys now cheered for her. Others sneered. Coach Hawkins clapped her shoulder, looking over and pointing at Darren before rushing over to him._

_"I told you," Darren sighed with a proud smile. "My little girl's something special."_

_"Yes she is," the man agreed. "You taught her well."_

_"I try, but trust me. Soon enough, she's going to be outdoing me in every which way. She's going to do great things, Hawk. Greater things than me. She's gonna be the first girl in the NFL, and no one's going to be able to stop her."_

_"You wanna hear the crazy part?"_

_"What?"_

_"I believe you. I see that look in her eyes. It's the same look I saw in your eyes back in college. You, Sir, have a prodigy on your hands."_

_"Yep. My little girl."_

* * *

Beca's eyes were trained on the device set atop the desk before her, unwavering. Her knee bounced up and down, her chin resting on her clasped hands with her elbows propped up on the mahogany. Aubrey was slumped back in her chair though she was far from relaxed, her chin between her thumb and index finger, elbow propped up on the armrest. They had been sitting exactly like this for the past half hour. Prior to that, Aubrey had been on the phone all morning making calls to twenty - five of the thirty - two NFL franchises in the nation. Their final option on the table at the moment was to be calling them at any moment, and if they fell through, there were only seven other teams. Five of those teams had already taken their chances. The other two teams were franchises that were enduring so much inner turmoil, it would be a miracle if they even answered the call. With five weeks until training camps commenced at the start of June, they were beyond desperate, and Beca had not slept in weeks due to her distress.

When the phone rang, both sisters jumped, startled by the sudden sound shattering through the dense silence.

"Who uses the alarm bell as their ringtone?" Beca breathed. "That damn sound makes my balls jump up into my body."  
Aubrey froze, the device beneath her fingers. "Wait, what?"

Beca only shrugged, gesturing to the phone. The blonde proceeded to pick it up, sliding the bar across to answer it and putting it to her ear.

"Mitchell," she replied. "Aubrey Conrad speaking."

"Yes, Mrs. Conrad," a man's voice replied. "So we did go over the deal. We do understand that you are willing to further negotiate on the contract. We also understand that Mitchell is willing to forfeit a signing bonus. However, the Cardinals just aren't interested in the current deal. At this time, we are pursuing other primary options. Now Mr. Hayes still has the initial offer here, and we will keep you in mind. As of now though, it's a no - go."

"Very well. Thank you, Mr. Price."

She hung up now as Beca slammed her fist onto the desk.

"Fuck!" she roared, hopping to her feet. "That's it. We're fucked."

"Beca, we can still talk to the Force."

"I just - arena football, Bree? Really?"

"Hey, Jesse and Luke love it."

"Yes, but Jesse and Luke didn't want the NFL when we all know that they could play with the big boys. They're above arena football. That sport is a joke. There's no competition. You either have the money to buy out big players, or you don't."

"Then let them buy you out."

"It's - low."

"So what do you want me to do, Beca?"

"I - I don't know. I just - don't know anymore. Who are the other two teams?"

Aubrey sighed. "Dallas and - San Francisco."

"What do you think?"

"Honestly, Becs? I don't know. Dallas just drafted two backs out of Auburn and Texas. San Francisco? They're falling apart piece by piece, and with Seattle set to dominate the division _again_, they have a lot more to worry about than the run game. Devin Marshall's in Seattle, you know, and they're looking at Freddy Andreas as well. They're going to need bigger backs to handle that."

"I've handled Devin Marshall for eight years. Freddy Andreas has fallen to me too. I haven't had the chance to play Marshall here save for my rookie season, and we beat them."

"I know, Becs, but I sent an initial inquiry, and their depth chart looks to be on its way to filled. They just drafted two quarterbacks. LaMichael James will probably be the starter."

"Yeah, but Gore just retired."

"They need receivers, not backs."

"Well, we can try, right?"

The blonde thought a moment before nodding reluctantly. "Yes, we can, and I did."

"We only have a few weeks."

"Yeah, I know. I just need you to keep an open mind, Beca."

"Of course."

"Worse comes to worst, you play a year in the arena to gather your bearings, and we get you back in next season."

"Okay, alright. Open mind."

Aubrey smiled now, patting her sister's shoulder. "Yes, open mind."

"Okay, I'll see you later."

"Where are you going?"

"Home. I have to pick up Emmett from Mom's first though."

"Okay, if Stacie's there, tell her that I'll be home by three."

"Okay, thanks, Bree."

"No problem. It's what I'm here for."

"Yeah, but I still need to thank you, and I'm pretty sure I don't do it enough."

Aubrey smiled as her sister pulled her into a hug. "Well, you're very welcome. Thanks for trusting me."

"You're my big sister. I have no reason not to."

"True."

* * *

Beca entered her stepmother's home to find Emmett at the table eating apple slices.

"M-m-mama!" he squealed when she entered.

"Hey, Buddy," she gasped, kissing his head.

"I eat a-a-apples!"

"Oh, I see that."

"Hey, Becs," Lauren now greeted, coming in from the den.

"Hey, Mama Lauren," Beca greeted pressing a kiss to the woman's forehead. "How was he?"

"An angel. We did some puzzles and watched a few movies."

"I - I w-w-watch b-b-bears!" Emmett informed her.

"Wow, that's too cool! Go get your shoes now, so we can go see Mommy."

"Okay!"

He jumped off of his chair, running off into the living room.

"He's getting so big now," the blonde sighed.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Beca huffed.

"It's so crazy how much like you he is. It's that smirk."

Beca now donned said smirk. "It runs in the family I guess."

"I'm sure. Where's Chloe?"

"Home with the twins and her mom. Is Stacie here?"

"No, she picked up Emma and Caleb earlier, and they were headed home."

"Oh."

"How did it go today? Any luck?"

Beca dropped her head with a shake. "Naw. The Cardinals aren't interested. We thought we had something with the Redskins or the Texans, but they both pulled out last minute. We pretty much have Dallas left, so we'll see how that goes."

"Hey, keep your head up. It all works out for the best."

"Yeah, I'm hoping so. We'll see."

Lauren leaned against the counter, scrutinizing her stepdaughter for a long moment, eyes narrowed. Beca quirked an eyebrow.

"What?" the brunette asked cautiously.

Lauren shook her head. "Nothing. Just - watching you grow up still gets to me."

Beca narrowed her eyes now. "Don't get all sappy with me, woman."

The blonde giggled. "Oh, no. It's just the fact that you're already twenty - six. You and Bree both, and it's still mind blowing to see you two get along, being business partners after how you started. How we all started."

"Speaking of how things started, I heard you had a date the other night and another tonight."

Her stepmother's cheeks now flushed a deep crimson, and she smirked. "Well..."

"I'd say it's about damn time, Mama. You and her have been dancing around it how long now?"

"Hey, to be fair, we only even started talking and getting to know each other maybe-"

"Four years ago?"

"Oh hush up. Not all of us are as outgoing as your wife."

"You mean oblivious to boundaries like my wife?"

They both chuckled. "Right. That's it."

"Hey, if it means anything, I think that you two are good for each other. I just wanna see you two happy, you know."

"It means a lot." She paused now, looking down at her shoes. "Um..."

"What is it, Mama?"

"Well, uh, Will sent a letter since I won't answer his calls."

Beca's face fell. "Oh, perfect. How did that go?"

She snorted. "The bastard had the audacity to ask me to write a letter for his parole."

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Nope, not at all. I threw that letter in the garbage disposal."

"Well, he has about four more years right?"

"Yes, but then he has to stay five hundred yards from us at all times, and I'm pretty sure that if he's smart, he won't come back here."

"Damn right he won't. But I'm gonna get going. Have fun tonight, Mama."

She pulled Beca into a hug. "I'll try."

"Yeah, but don't do anything I wouldn't do."

She giggled. "Shut up, Becs."

Beca wriggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Tell Aunt Michelle we say hi."

"I will."

Once Emmett bid his grandmother a good evening, Beca carried him out to the car and buckled him in. She then headed home, the radio playing softly through the cab. Emmett was humming along, his hands patting his thighs to the beat, and his mother smiled. Yes, it could not be denied that Emmett was so much like his brunette mother. Beca had been on top of the world at the time Chloe conceived, and having a child wasn't all that scary then. By the time she was traded from Atlanta, Beca had already agreed to having one more child. They then received the twins, and it had been a pleasant but shocking surprise. Beca had been anything but ready, but they had been doing well since. Besides, the moment she held both of her twins, she had fallen in love, and her daughter was a Godsend without question.

"Hey, Baby," the brunette huffed as she entered the kitchen.

"Hey, Baby Love," the redhead replied, turning from the stove to peck her wife on the lips.

"Aubrey call you?"

Chloe now frowned. "No. How did it go?"

"Nothing. Not Arizona, not Tampa Bay, not the Redskins, not the Texans. We talked numbers with everyone though. They just don't need it."

"What about Dallas and San Fran?"

"I've been trying to see the bright side, but I have yet to do so. Dallas just drafted two backs. Frisco just about filled their roster."

"Well, maybe-"

"I just don't wanna talk about it tonight, Baby."

"Okay, Baby love. We don't talk about it. I'm making lasagna though. Your favorite."

The brunette smiled now. "Thanks, Baby. Where are the kids?"

"In the living room. And Emmett?"

"Probably in there too. I'll go check on them."

"Thank you, my love."

Beca pressed a soft kiss to the redhead's lips before heading into the living room. The first one to greet her with a shriek was her seven - month - old daughter, who crawled towards her. Isaiah sat on the floor in front of the couch playing with blocks with his big brother.

"Hey, Princess," she cooed, picking up the little girl. "I missed you. What are you doing?" Peyton giggled again as Beca kissed her cheek, her tiny hand reaching up to rest on her mother's cheek. "Aw, my beautiful girl. You're gonna look just like your mommy, I promise."

As she tickled the small redhead, the doorbell rang. Peyton froze, looking around for the sound, and Beca gasped.

"I wonder who that could be," she whispered. "Let's go see."

She entered the foyer, reaching the door and opening it to reveal Jesse, who had his laptop in hand, and Benji. Beca shook both of their hands, moving aside to allow them entrance.

"What's up?" she asked as the boys greeted Peyton.

"I have to show you something," Jesse replied, his trademark goofy grin playing on his face.

Beca followed the men into the kitchen where Jesse set his laptop on the table, opening it and pulling up a web page.

"Hey, boys," Chloe said as she placed dinner in the oven.

"Hey, Chlo," they both returned, hugging her before Jesse sat down at the table.

"What's going on?"

"I have a very inspirational video for B here."

Chloe and Beca stood behind the man, Benji sitting beside him as he continued to click on a link in his email. He allowed the video to load before hitting play. A highlight reel began to play, and the team on screen consisted of children no older than ten or eleven. Beca watched as the halfback, donning red and white with the number "6" on their jersey, began running all over multiple defenses in a series of clips. There was no doubt that the kid was good with a veteran cutback move and impeccable speed.

"Who is this?" the shorter brunette asked.

"_This_ is Sam Gordon," Jesse replied giddily. "A halfback from Salt Lake City who is now tearing up the bay area league in San Jose."

"He's good." Jesse only grinned wider. "Really good."

"Oh, just you wait."

Soon the highlight real cut out, and the tiny running back ran off of the field in the final cut where a reporter stood. Sam pulled off the gold helmet to reveal flowing dirty blonde hair, and Beca's and Chloe's mouths fell open. Sam Gordon was a girl, a very small girl similar to how Beca was only years ago.

"Holy shit," the brunette breathed.

"Yeah," Jesse returned, practically buzzing with excitement. "_Samantha _'Sam' Gordon. Just listen to this though."

He now skipped forward slightly before allowing it to play once more.

"And who is your idol, Sam?" the reporter asked.

"Smash Mitchell," the girl replied confidently, a stern nod punctuating the answer.

"Is it because she's a female as well?"

"That's cool too, but no. She's a great player, and she's so fast. She has great skills, and she's so hard to catch. She's just so strong, and she doesn't care what anyone says. She's amazing, and I love the way she plays. Plus, she seems really nice, and she's always so caring about her family. I try my best to be just as good as she is because they made fun of me at first too just like they did to her, but she's tough, and I want to be as tough as her."

"Very good. Thank you, Sam, and I'm sure that Smash would be proud to see what she has inspired with her mental toughness."

The clip ended now, and by this time, Chloe had an arm around her wife's shoulders. Jesse and Benji looked up at the shorter woman with gleaming eyes and wide smiles.

"Wow," Beca gasped, Peyton even looking at her with bright eyes.

"I'm telling you, B," Jesse now stated, standing up. "You still got it. There are little kids, kids like _that _looking up to you, that still believe in you, you know. You gotta get back, B. It's time to stop worrying about a fucking head on collision and live. Do you. That's your element, you know."

"Yeah, I know, Jess, but - it isn't that easy. If no one wants me, I've run out of chances."

"No, B, there's always a chance. Even if you don't want to come out and play with us. I mean, Coach Garrison would pick you up in a second, you know, but I know that if you want to stay in the NFL, there _will _be another chance. When that chance comes, you have to own it. Someone is going to need you. Someone's going to reach out and give you that chance."

"Yeah, I hope you're right."

"You will be, and if you need anymore inspiration, I'll go to San Jose with you to meet this little girl in person."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. She's amazing."

"Yeah, she is."

"Well, I gotta get home, but gym tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah, of course. Thanks, J."

"Anytime. Someone has to keep you standing, B."

She smirked. "As always, right?"

"You know it."

After dinner, Beca settled down in the basement, opting for some time on the treadmill while she watched her final BCS championship game. They had played Auburn for the title, winning 42-27 with Beca scored four touchdowns. During that season and the two seasons prior, they had also annihilated Notre Dame. In her final three years, they had only lost once, and that had been to Oregon. They had beat Oregon later on that year in the championship as they had with Notre Dame, and people had long since ceased doubting the Rebels. In that final college season however, Beca had been at her very best. She had broken over three hundred tackles, run for six thousand yards and had a combined sixty touchdowns rushing, receiving and returning kicks. There had been no doubt in anyone's mind that she would be drafted in the first round. Yet, no one ever spoke about how long she would last in the NFL. That had not been the question. To start, Beca was sure she could play a few bountiful years before pulling her full focus over to music. She had never thought that she would want to play longer than that, but things happen. One thing Beca Mitchell didn't do was quit, and that's exactly what she would be doing if she retired with nothing to show for her career. She had to make it back to a prestigious title before she could even think to call it quits. Now, what she needed was a chance.

* * *

"Get it, Mitchell! Get it!" Jesse roared as Beca pumped three hundred pounds into the air from the bench press. "Come on! Three more!"

She breathed in and out evenly, thrusting the bar upwards before carefully bringing it back down to hover less than an inch from her chest. She pushed it up once more, expelling a heavy breath. Luke stood behind her, Jesse in front of her and Benji and Donald on either side of her. Beca still could not believe how bulky and toned Benji had become in the last couple of years. Had he lifted as much as he did now back in high school, he could probably play some outstanding football. The guy knew the game as well as anyone, and he was the family's go - to when they needed internal analysis of their play.

"There you go, Mate," Luke said as he helped her place the bar back on the hinges, Benji handing her a towel. "That was twenty reps easy, B. You're still a beast."

"I still have the best abs too, Mate," Beca smirked, patting his back.

"I beg to differ."

"Well, if it wasn't a bunch of dudes, I'd challenge you."

"I'm pretty sure that Jesse can give us an honest decision."

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of."

They chuckled as Jesse glowered at the brunette, lightly slugging her in the arm. They then moved over to the dumbbells, each grabbing a set to proceed with curls.

"So..." Beca sighed, anything but excited about the question she was about to ask. "What's it like? The arena league?"

"Well," Luke began as he rolled down his forearm. "It's not the big leagues, Mate, but it's fun, you know. It's like a generic brand of your favorite cereal. It's not the NFL, but there's a lot of passion on that field. A lot of NFL players rebuild their game there."

"So it's like..."

"Okay, honestly, Mate? It's for those who are a bit less savvy to the fame and fortune of NFL, but they wanna play the game, you know."

"You _do _realize you and J could play pro ball if you wanted, right?"

"Yes, but in this league, there's some pros that the NFL can't give us. It's a short season. We're home a lot more to run the studio and stuff, to be with the family. Remember, football had never been in the plan after college. It was really like a hobby. It's easy to be a hero though. I don't know. It isn't for everyone, but if you play a year there, you have a chance at a comeback, you know. You can redeem yourself in the arena."

"We're like gladiators, Becs," Jesse now added, and she smirked. "No, we're not all that famous. We don't make as much money." He snorted now. "As if we need it, but anyway. It's all fun, and Coach Garrison would love to have you. What I can say though is that you still have it, B. You can still make an NFL run with or without a drop into the arena. Hell, you never know though. You might get addicted. Thing is that we know that you can do it. We want to help in any way that we can, but you have to be willing to take those hits, you know."

"Yeah, I know. I just - I've been stuck in that mentality so long."

"It was a botched play you got hit on. Plain and simple. The tight end fucked up his route, and he failed to protect you."

"Had it been you guys though, you wouldn't have."

"Yeah, but it was a long shot, all of us being put on the same team. Hell, that would be the dream, right? If an NFL team called me up right now and said they wanted all of us, I would pack my bags, no questions asked, and go. That's just wishful thinking though, you know."

"Yeah, I know. I just wish it was like that, like college. I feel a lot safer when I have guys who actually like me on my end, you know."

"Yeah, we know. Either way though, we can still live the dream. Together."

"Yeah, I guess so. It can't be too bad. Being back on the field with you guys is sort of a rush."

"Yeah, and we would be home, you know. That's key, isn't it?"

"Yup, a big plus."

As Beca placed her dumbbells down, her phone began to ring. She wiped her face off with the edge of her shirt before picking it up to answer.

"Yeah," she huffed into the phone.

"Beca Mitchell?" The voice sounded all too familiar, and Beca froze.

"Yeah?"

"Hey, Kiddo. How's it going?"

* * *

_"We would like to offer you a two - year contract. All monetary values are negotiable. We can send over the offer right now if you are interested in taking a look at it."_

_"Uh, yes, of course. Yes, I'm interested."_

_"Great. We will send it over. Now we understand that your coaching staff has been with you for an ample amount of time. If you have any suggestions on your assistants, we are willing to listen. As you know, we are rebuilding. We won the championship four years ago, and we have not been the same since. We had a few key players retire. Others have chosen free agency or other avenues. We are trying to rebuild. We have many spots to fill, but we must start with the offensive coordinator position. Our head coach needs better support at this stage if we have any chance of getting back to our dominance of our conference. We feel that you deserve a chance to broaden your horizons."_

_"Well, I am definitely interested."_

_"Wonderful. Now Coach H is very interested in your input regarding the depth chart. We've just faxed over the offer if you would like to take a look at it and call us back."_

_"Yes, I will do that. Thank you."_

His assistant coach quickly retrieved the fax, pulling out the papers and handing them over to his superior. They called in the team's lawyer, who arrived in less than half an hour, and the men began to go over the offer.

"This is solid," the lawyer, Mr. Matthews, stated with a grin. "Two years with possible extension, 1.2 million. This is big, Kid. This is a real chance."

_"You really think so?"_

_"I know so!"_

The man scrutinized Matthews a moment, pulling the documents closer to him and looking over the bullet points. His delegates sat silently, watching him with an intense gaze. At last, he sighed.

_"Okay, but let me put it on record." Matthews immediately pulled out a legal pad. "I want Victor and Cal on my staff. I need all of my suggestions thoroughly considered. Apart from that, I'll take the deal."_

_"Okay, I'll make the call. Pack your bags, guys. We're headed to the big leagues."_

_Before he could make the call, their phone was ringing. The three men glanced at one another before their head picked up the device and answered tentatively._

_"Yes," he stated into the receiver._

_"Okay, we now withdraw our offer, Coach."_

_His eyes widened. "Wh - why?"_

_"Well, Coach H has just declined our contract extension. Therefore, we would like to offer you the job of HEAD coach. Our new offer has just been faxed."_


	4. The Golden Opportunity

**_A/N: Okay so thank you to everyone who has reviewed and shared their thoughts. I greatly appreciate it, and Im glad that you are enjoying the story. I have run into a brick wall of writers block on this, but Im trying. i just feel as if everything is repetitive from the last two stories. Nonetheless i am trying to power through it. Even then, I apologize if updates slow. With work and writers block combined, it's pretty difficult. but i will try so thank you for the patience._**

**_Oh and yes, Aunt Michelle and Lauren are dating lol_**

* * *

_"You want what!"_

_"I want them."_

_"All three of them?"_

_"Yes, all three of them. All four of them actually. If you can get me all four plus the assistant coach, that would be great."_

_"Evan, do you have any idea what you're doing here? Do you understand that-"_

_"Look, I need you to trust me on this, Ben."_

_"She's washed up, old news, Evan. The others are arena football players for Christ's sake. And this assistant coach? He's never coached a game in his life. They can't even-"_

_"No, she isn't washed up, and they're in the arena league on their choice. You have to understand that I helped mold these players myself. I know how to get through to them, how to get the best out of them. Victor and I know just how to do that. They still got it. You brought me hear to put this team back together. This is what I'm doing. No other coach has taken the time to talk to her, to work things out. I know what the problem is, and I can fix it."_

_"You - you're asking a lot of me all so soon, Evan. That's four slots."_

_"Yes, four slots we need filled, and four slots that I know how to fill while getting the best for your money. Those are _**_my_**_ players. You never would have noticed me had it not been for them. I'm asking you to trust me with this team. Wasn't that the goal?"_

The elder man scrutinized his young coach for a long moment, registering the determination and mirth in his eyes. He seemed so confident, so sure, and Ben Harrison liked that look. He trusted that look. There was no way that he couldn't.

_"Okay, Evan, I'll give in," he huffed. "For all five of them if you can negotiate with Tampa, but I need results _**_this _**_season, or I cut them. All of them."_

_"You won't be disappointed, Sir. I guarantee that."_

* * *

Beca, Luke, Benji and Jesse filed into Aubrey's office, trying to keep their emotions in check. The call Beca had received was anything but expected or foreseen, but it was nothing bad in any sense. They had been holding their breaths the entire ride over, and as they entered, the familiar faces that greeted them beside Aubrey caused them to break into large smiles.

"The original Barden Fuckin' Rebels," the men chuckled, embracing each of them.

"Coach Adams," Jesse returned, patting the man's back intensely.

"Coach Jackson," Beca breathed as the larger man engulfed her.

"Hey, Kid," he sighed contentedly into her hair. "Long time, huh?"

"Very long time."

"Okay, guys, sit down," Coach Adams instructed, and all did so as he stood behind Aubrey, hands clasped. "So...I made the trip all the way out here, so that I could make this deal myself. I just started my new job last week."

Beca and the boys quirked an eyebrow. "You're not at Barden anymore?" Beca asked.

"No, Sir." He grinned now. "I have been hired as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers." They all gasped, eyes widening. "Coach Jackson is my offensive coordinator."

"Really?"

"Yes, and I have come with four offers." Aubrey now divided up the stack of papers before her, sliding them across the table. "Now, Benji, you have been just as involved as anyone. I trust you and your knowledge of this game. It's a bit unorthodox, but I'm going to need a special teams coordinator and assistant coach. Yes, our owner was a bit skeptical, but he agreed. Jesse, I know that you've been playing outside linebacker _and _receiver for the Force, but we need an additional tight end and wideout on offense, and I trust that you have the outside speed we need. If we find you better cut for defense, fine, but I need you nonetheless. Luke, well, I need myself a fullback. Who better than the man who has been protecting Beca all of these years? And of course, Beca. Frank Gore just retired. They drafted Marcus Lattimore, but he's still recovering from a broken leg. We need a run game. That's our forte, and Devin Marshall and Freddy Andreas are now in our division."

"Really?"

"Yes, both signed with Seattle. Look, I know you can take him. You can take anyone. We just have to give you the support. We're currently working on acquiring Donald from Tampa as well, and it's looking good."

"You're - serious?" Beca now choked out.

"Absolutely. Each of you, one year contracts, 750K, with a possible extension and a signing bonus of 250K. This is the test run, and if we produce, I can get you a bigger and better contract. Last four years since they won the Super Bowl, they have gone 18-43. That's less than five wins a season, and that won't cut it. We need a different approach, and I'm making my move. The owners are going to be on us like flies on shit. They are going to evaluate every single move because they're still adjusting to the idea. However, I have all the faith in the world in you. I believe that we can do this as we always have. Will you come with me to San Francisco and make it happen?"

All four of them looked to Aubrey, who had just become the representation for all of them.

"Would you like a moment alone?" Coach Adams asked.

Beca snorted. "Coach, we _are _family even during business."

"Well, this was the dream, right?" Luke said. "To play together again. I mean, Jesse said if an NFL team called us right now with this offer, we would go."

"Yes, I did," Jesse confirmed. "I just think that-"

"Okay," Coach Jackson sighed with a smirk. "Let's all stop bullshitting. Your wives should be here any moment so you can ask permission."

They all burst into laughter now. Their old coaches knew them too well, but they also knew their wives just as well. Like clockwork, Chloe, Ashley, Jessica, Stacie and Kelly entered the office with question in their eyes. When Aubrey had called all of them to come down to her office, no one really knew what to think. Allie, Sarah and Michelle had agreed to keep the children, and the wives had made their way down with haste. They were surprised to find Coach Jackson and Coach Adams in the office as well, and they all greeted them warmly before standing behind their spouses. Beca gestured to their coaches with a smirk.

"So, ladies," Coach Jackson now huffed, leaning forward in his seat and clasping his hands once more. "You have all been called down here because your husbands and wives obviously need your permission to do anything."

"You already know," Stacie replied, and every chortled.

"Well seriously though, this is big. We have an offer. It's a one - year contract, but if it goes well, it _will _be extended. We have offered each of them a place with the San Francisco 49ers."

"San Francisco?" Kelly gasped.

"Yes."

"All of them together?" Jessica questioned.

"Yup, and we're also working on acquiring Donald. Now this time, we will give you a moment with your spouses."

The two coaches left the couples to discuss it, but it wasn't much of a discussion. Stacie and Chloe had no qualms about it. Ashley and Jessica were a bit more apprehensive, Jessica due to the fact that Benji would have to quit the job he had been at for four years. Benji quickly debunked it with the fact that though he had been there so long working even longer hours, he still was nowhere close to moving up. He had also been helping the Atlanta Force staff, and he loved the gig. Their twins were only two years old, so it wouldn't be too hard for them to be uprooted. Ashley was only having trouble with the idea of leaving home, but she knew that Luke had always missed playing with his friends, and in all honesty, she missed watching them. All of them did. Kelly wasn't too concerned. She wanted to see more of the world anyway, and of course, her love for the game had not subsided. Seeing all of them in the same uniform had been wishful thinking for so long, and now it was a realistic opportunity. On top of that, the family trusted Coach Jackson and Coach Adams more than anything, and the boys wanted to help them rebuild the team they had been handed. Then there was the fact that it was the Niners.

Beca and the boys had been die - hard Niner fans since the jump, and it had always been a hope to play with them for Beca. They would be playing with the likes of Vernon Davis,a solid tight end, and Colin Kaepernick, the league's favorite rising star at the quarterback position for the past five years since he came in midseason and led them to a championship win. They would be among veteran star receivers and an impeccable offensive line. The team wasn't a bad team, but they had had so many injuries over the past few seasons that it had dragged them down to a standstill. They needed some help, and this group could possibly be the key. Now, there was only a couple more concerns for the family as a whole.

"And Grandma Penny?" Ashley asked.

"Well, Aunt Allie and Aunt Sarah and Aunt Michelle will be here if she won't go with us," Beca replied. "Mama Lauren and Mama Em. CR and Denise. Amy."

"She won't go with us. You know she's bound to the diner."

"Yeah, I know, but we try. Maybe if we get the extension after the season, she'll think about it."

"And the label?"

"Cynthia Rose can keep up logistics, and we hire some more interns to handle the studios. I have some good friends at the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences who may be able to send over some graduates. So, what do we say?"

"It's up to you boys now," Kelly said, rubbing the back of Jesse's neck.

"I'm in," Jesse sighed.

"I'm in," Luke agreed.

"You know I'm in," Beca huffed.

"So am I," Benji stated.

"I guess I'm in," Aubrey added for good measure, "but all of you are paying me, right?"

"Oh, of course, Bree," Luke assured her. "You're the best PR team we can ask for."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Okay. Call them back in."

Aubrey quickly opened up the door, gesturing to the coaches standing outside. They entered with smiles on their faces as Beca stood up, Chloe at her shoulder.

"Okay, Adams," she sighed. "You have yourself some Rebels to take back to the West Coast with you on one condition."

"Anything," the two men agreed.

"You come have dinner with the rest of the family at the diner tonight."

"I think we got the long end of the stick there, B."

"Maybe so, but is that a deal?"

"Oh, it's a deal, alright."

Though Grandma Penny had of course turned down migration to the bay area, she was more than ecstatic that her boys would be headed out there to play ball, promising to make some games. The rest of the family was both relieved and enthralled with the concept of the boys and Beca playing together again, and they loved seeing Jackson and Adams as well. The family feasted over the classic burgers and fries, complete with milkshakes in the place where it all began really for all of them. It was virtually where Chloe had persuaded Beca to love, both the redhead and the game. In that, she had laid the foundation for the family and what it was today.

After dinner, the family returned to the Chalmers - Cale residence for a celebratory nightcap. The children were situated in the den in the signature family blanket fort Aunt Allie kept erected there with Leah in charge of the DVD player, and the others moved out onto the back porch. Beca hung back in order to put the twins upstairs, both fast asleep. She kissed each of their foreheads before putting them down in their playpen. As she did so, Allie entered the room, leaning against the door.

"It still gets me every time I see you with these kids," she sighed.

"Why?" Beca smirked, turning around to face her aunt.

"Because, Becs, who would have ever thought that you would have children? Three nonetheless."

"To be fair, I had planned on two."

"Sure, you know that you always wanted more. You just didn't know it until that little girl came along."

"I guess you're right."

"So, how do you feel?"

"I'm nervous. Super nervous. I - just...it's one thing to fail, but to fail with your favorite team?"

Allie chuckled, patting the younger's shoulder. "I think that you're going to be great. You just have to stop being so afraid of what _could_ happen, and do what _should_ happen."

"Yeah, I know. I hope I can get it right this time."

"You can, Becs, but you have to believe in yourself. Come here." Beca stepped closer, and her aunt cupped her cheeks, their eyes meeting. "You have a gift. You always have, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you can dominate. Baby, you've been holding back and trying too hard for too long. You can do this. This is what you were built for."

"Yeah, and your dad didn't hand you the lessons for nothing," Sarah injected as she appeared beside her wife. "He always knew that you would be great as long as you held onto your love for the game. We can believe in you all you want, but if you don't believe in yourself then there's nothing any of us can do."

"To be blunt," Michelle now sighed, standing beside her sister. "Grow a pair and stop shying away from a tackle. You run through them or you run past them, but you never run away. What did your dad always tell you about fighting?"

"To fight with my legs?" Beca responded.

"Then you do that, and you remind them why you were put in that league in the first place."

"Okay, okay, since you're all so persuasive."

They rolled their eyes with a chuckle. "Seriously, Becs. No matter how many times we tell you, it's up to you to do it. Don't do it for us or your wife or your kids or even your mom and dad. You do it for you because in the end, your toughest critic is the one in the mirror."

Beca nodded. "I know, and I promise I'm gonna get back. One way or another."

* * *

The families had three weeks to pack up for the move in order to be there in time for team physicals and evaluations save for Benji, who had to go back immediately. Jessica and their children would leave with the others. When Donald's trade was at last finalized, everything was a lot more lax. They would all be together for sure now. They were left with play books to go over and memorize. In the interim, they were pushing it harder in the gym as well as on the field, running each morning together before hitting the weights. Handoffs, kickoffs, passing, receiving, tackling. They did it all, intent on being in tip top shape for the start of training camp.

The good news continued to get better when they found that the press had yet to be informed of the developments in San Francisco. They had just received word of Jim Harbaugh's departure from the bay area, but they had yet to hear of Coach Adams' instatement. The team owners wanted to keep it that way until Beca and the others arrived and all contracts had been finalized. Nonetheless, Beca knew that the press would have a field day once they broke the news, and she was mentally preparing herself for the ensuing onslaught of speculation.

The night before they were set to leave, she found her wife on the terrace leaning against the railing. Her soft, ginger curls cascaded down her back, longer than they had ever been. Beca snaked her arms around her waist, a common scenario where either one of them would find the other here. Tonight, the redhead savored the sight of Barden before her, a sight she would once again leave behind for greener pastures, or at least she hoped. She was ever the optimist during such situations. Chloe melted into the embrace, her hand resting atop her wife's.

"Are you ready for this?" Beca asked.

"Yeah," Chloe replied honestly. "It's like thirty degrees cooler in the bay right now, and we can see the Golden Gate bridge. We never went there before."

"I know. I always seemed to get traded before that game, and they never made it to the playoffs either, so."

"Well, that's all about to change, isn't it?"

"I hope so."

"It will, Baby. Have some faith. Coach Jackson and Coach Adams have your best interests as their top priority. They're family, and we'll all be together up there. With Stacie, Ashley, Jessica, Kelly and I, we'll be able to help each other with the kids."

"Thank you."

"For?"

"For being here. For sticking with me."

"I wouldn't have made the vow had I not intended to keep it."

"No, I know. Nonetheless, you still deserve proper gratitude."

"Well." The redhead turned around to run her hands down her wife's neck before resting on her shoulders. "Thank you for being you. I love you so much."

"I love you too." The brunette leaned up to peck her wife's lips. "More than anything. More than music or - or football or-"

"I know, Baby. I know. Calm down."

"I just don't-"

"Beca Jade Mitchell, stop." She leaned forward now, lightly nipping the brunette's ear and eliciting a yelp. "Now, do I need to show you how on board I am."

"A little extra proof never hurt," Beca breathed.

"Good." The redhead pushed her towards the bedroom. "Come on then."

After Chloe provided substantial "proof", Beca lay with her head resting on the redhead's belly, Chloe running lithe digits through her hair.

"Did I earn this?" Beca now breathed into the silence.

"Yes, I think you earned a second chance," she replied curtly.

"You mean a fifth chance?"

"Baby, I'm your wife, and I know it's in my job description to stroke your ego, but this is getting ridiculous."

Beca chortled, pinching Chloe's side playfully. "Come on. Just a little more, Mrs. Mitchell."

"Well, Baby, I've told you once. I'll tell you again. You are an amazing player, and the sooner you can look in the mirror and stroke your own ego, the sooner we can see that on the field again. You are still the pessimistic rebel you were a decade ago, you know that?"

"Yup, and you're still that hyperactive redhead that keeps me grounded."

"Well that's why I tied you down, right?"

The brunette smirked. "Clever, Beale. Really Clever."

"I do try."

* * *

As the last of their belongings were loaded up, Beca and Aubrey stood on the Mitchell terrace for a final look at their hometown. After a grueling morning going over the finalized contract and negotiating any concerns, they were finally prepared to start another journey.

"You ready for this?" the blonde sighed.

"I'm still considering that," Beca returned.

Aubrey clapped her sister's shoulder. "We're going to be okay. It's time for you to make a comeback, to prove, not to everyone else, but to yourself that you were made for this."

"Yeah." Beca glanced over at the taller woman now. "Hey, Bree."

"Yeah?"

"I just wanna say thank you, for sticking with me. I know that it isn't easy. I've dragged you all over the country, both of our families too. Honestly, I don't think anyone else would have stuck it out this long, never knowing what would happen, but you did."

"We're family, Becs. You gave me one chance, one chance to be a better person, and I will give you a million to be a better player for that."

"Well, I knew that you could be."

"And so do I. I know you're better than the track record you currently hold. This time though, you're playing with people you trust. The coaching staff is going to be impeccable, and you have Luke blocking for you. Who better, you know?"

"You're right." She paused once more. "Did you - know?"

"Know what?"

"I mean, did you notice that I started playing different after-"

"The concussion? Yeah, and I told Chloe that after we left Atlanta. Still, we figured you just needed time to confront the fear. Then it became worse, but we knew that just telling you wouldn't fix it. You needed something, something we couldn't give you."

"Peace of mind?"

"Yes, but, Becs, we have told you a lot of things in the past, and you don't listen until you see it yourself."

"Like losing Chloe?"

The blonde sighed. "Like losing Chloe."

"So losing my career was the best thing for me?"

"That's the thing. You didn't lose it. You grabbed the edge of it last minute, but I doubt you really wanna let it go and try to get it back, right?"

"Right."

"So don't. Take it now, and make the best of this opportunity. They need you out here."

"Yeah, well I do feel a lot more prepared being back with my boys, but seriously." Beca turned now, placing both hands on her sister's shoulders. "Thank you, Bree. You have no idea how much it means to me, you having my back."

"I won't lie. I sort of gave up on you before this call."

Beca smacked her arm now as she giggled. "I'll let that slide."

"I think I earned a 'get out of jail free' card."

"Yeah, I suppose so." Beca turned back to look over the land. "You know, it's still crazy, isn't it?"

"What?"

"Being here. Getting to where we are."

"After how we started?"

"Yeah, you know. I mean, you and me. Chloe and I." She chuckled now. "Stacie and I, you and Stacie. I mean-"

"Hey, let's just be clear. I take complete responsibility, and I admit bluntly that I was an asshat before you and I settled our differences."

"Yeah, well. I wasn't the most approachable little pain in the ass either."

"You _did_ slam the door in my face the first time we met."

"Yeah, well, you were a bit _abrasive _the first time we met."

"I suppose so. Nonetheless, we found our way, and you've been the best little big brother I could ever ask for."

The brunette smirked now. "Even when I gave your wife the talk prior to her being your wife?"

Aubrey scoffed. "Are you kidding? That was the best part. That was the day I put my total and complete faith in you."

"_That _was the day?"

"Yup."

"Huh. I was under the impression-"

"Nope."

"So it _wasn't_ the day I beat the shit out of Will?"

She thought a moment. "Hmm. Okay, so there may have been like 0.9 percent you still needed, and you got it there."

"Oh okay." The brunette chuckled once more. "I'll never forget that day. I was pretty sure that Stacie was going to faint or some shit."

"Well, you weren't all that inviting."

"Are you kidding me? Inviting? Do you remember how that scenario even started?"

"Yes, I do."

"It was midnight. Chloe and I had been going at-"

"Okay, let's skip _those _details."

"Well, anyway, I had just passed out, and she calls me to come over to your house?"

"You were just across the street, Becs. Plus, Chloe is technically the one that woke you up."

"Oh, yeah!" she sardonically gasped, snapping her fingers before her face fell serious. "Doesn't matter. Point is that, you two had been together what? Three days? Three days, so there was plenty of daylight for her to handle that in. Plus, I was the one that told _her_ really!"

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, she showed up to my house at midnight the night she asked me out."

"Hey, didn't she propose to you at like two in the morning too?"

The blonde gasped now. "Oh my gosh. She did."

"So, apparently, what we can deduce is that Stacie can only grow a pair at ungodly hours."

She snickered. "Agreed."

* * *

_"Becs. Becs! Beca Mitchell, wake up, or Im withholding for a week!"_

_"Huh? What?" Beca bolted upright in bed. _

_"Um, Stacie just called, and she needs you over right now."_

_"Chlo, I'm in no condition to drive. I'm-"_

_"She's across the street. At Bree's."_

_"What? Why?"_

_"I don't know. Just go please. She's called both of us more than ten times each."_

_"Uh, fine. Someone better be on the floor bleeding to death."_

She slid out of bed, pulling on her pants and nearly tripping in the process. She then pulled on her shirt, inside out, before she pocketed her phone. She reached the door before she halted, looking back at the redhead nestled comfortably under the blankets.

_"Oh, no, Red. Get your ass up. If I go, you go."_

_"No," the redhead groaned. "I'm cozy."_

_"And I'm angry. Now get up. They're _**_your _**_friends."_

_"Aubrey's _**_your _**_sister."_

_"She was yours first. Don't make me walk back over there and drag you out or _**_I'm _**_withholding for a week. Or six."_

_"Seriously!"_

_"Seriously."_

_"You wouldn't dare."_

_"Beale, remember when you went to volleyball camp last summer? Four weeks?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"I managed just fine."_

_"You lie! We snap chatted half the time!"_

_"Yes, and I screen shotted those. Therefore-"_

_"Okay, okay! I'm up! Dammit."_

_Ten minutes later, the couple walked up to Aubrey's door, leaning heavily on one another. They knocked, and Aubrey opened the door._

_"What's going on?" the brunette huffed. "Where's-"_

_"She's upstairs," Aubrey replied curtly. "Waiting on you. We'll wait down here. She's - in your room."_

_"This better be good."_

_The brunette slumped up the stairs into her old room, finding Stacie pacing the floor as she wrung her hands. She halted when she registered Beca's presence._

_"Hey, Becs," was the quiet and awkward greeting, so awkward that Beca herself would have been impressed had she been fully coherent. "I-"_

_"Stacie, what the fuck are you doing here at-" She checked the desk clock through hooded eyes. "this _**_ungodly_**_ hour? It doesn't look like anyone's dying either, so the fact that _**_I'm _**_here right now is becoming a much bigger problem."_

_"Okay," the taller brunette quickly huffed as Beca crossed her arms across her chest. "I know this is probably my worst idea. You're supposed to break this kind of news to someone when they're in a good mood - and well rested. But I - I just would rather get it over with now because, well, it's taken me a few days to work up the nerves, and if I wait any longer I'll lose it, and I don't wanna hide anything from you because you - lift a lot of weights. I mean, I play good volleyball, but I mean, you hit guys for a living. It's your thing, you know, so I know-"_

_Beca now smirked. "Stace."_

_"That you could easily kick my ass if need be, but-"_

_"Stace-"_

_"But Aubrey and I have been hanging out, and she's - she's so smart, smarter than me, but I'm not using her for her brain. I mean I-"_

_"Stace."_

_"And I - she makes me wanna be good, you know. No more hunting, and I - I still feel bad hitting on you and all in the beginning and Jesse too, but that was purely physical. With Aubrey, she just - draws me in, you know, and - those eyes, and she's been so much cooler since you helped her out, and ugh, I'm trying - I mean-"_

_"STACIE!"_

_The taller brunette's eyes snapped up now. "Huh?"_

_Beca grinned like the cheshire cat now. "Did you finally grow a pair and ask my sister out?"_

_The taller girl paled, her eyes bulging as she nearly choked on saliva. "You - you knew?"_

_"Are you kidding me? I could see the toner through your cleavage."_

_Stacie quirked an eyebrow. "Wait...what?"_

_"Not the point. What I'm saying is, yes. I knew."_

_"And - you're cool with it?"_

_"Yeah of course." _

_Before Stacie could blink however, Beca was in her face with a crazy look in her eyes. Stacie's eyes were threatening to pop out of her skull, and her body went rigid._

_"I swear on my mother, Stace, if you hurt her, I will chain you up like a punching bag and beat the living shit out of you with your own legs."_

_She gulped audibly. "Okay, B, I got it. I'm different now because of her. I - only want her."_

_"Well, I can see that, but I had to say it. Still, we'll have more to talk about when I'm not sleep deprived. That's my sister, you know, and it's my job as overly protective big brother and little sister all in one. I have a lot of time to make up for her, and you saw what I did to Will. If you don't want the same fate, I would suggest you put her on a very high pedestal and her heart in a titanium casing. If I ever see a tear on her face with your name on it, I'll be coming for you. I will hunt you down."_

_"K, got it."_

_"Okay, Beca, she's got it," Aubrey smiled from behind them at the door._

_Beca walked over to her sister and ruffled her hair. Then she put two fingers to her eyes before pointing them at Stacie. Stacie nodded curtly, and Aubrey giggled._

_"I'm out," Beca huffed. "Sleep calling."_

_Once Beca had vacated the room, fetching Chloe from the couch downstairs and heading back to the Beale residence, Stacie regained her composure. Well, somewhat._

_"Your sister's fucking scary," Stacie breathed as Aubrey walked over to her after closing the front door._

_"As if you didn't know," the blonde scoffed._

_"I think my heart just fell out of my ass." Suddenly, the brunette grinned. "Oh, never mind. You have it."_

_The blonde flushed a deep scarlet with a chuckle. "Wow, Conrad, what a sap."_

_"It's just my brain still mushy from your sister's fear factor."_

_"Yeah, sure. Come on. Let's get some sleep. You really need better sleeping habits."_

_"I really need better 'speaking - to - Beca - about - important - subject' habits."_

_Aubrey smirked, patting her stomach. "Yeah, that too."_


	5. No Press is Bad Press and All That Jazz

**_A/N: Okay we're back! Im making some quick time to update before my weekend really gets started. Big game tomorrow, so I wont be on until maybe tomorrow night. Therefore im doing it now. So this first flashback is thoroughly important to me. Let me know what you think! Thanks!_**

* * *

_"Where's Mom?" _

_"Hey, Kiddo. She went out to the grocery store."_

_"Oh, okay."_

_Beca turned around to head back to her room. Though Darren had been around for a year, he had only been living in the house several months, and they were still in that awkward stage where Beca could hardly stand in a room with him. He was more determined than ever now to connect with her after the trouble she had been getting into._

_"Hey, Becs," he called now, concealing his nerves._

_"Yeah?" she turned back around, her jaw clenching at his nickname for her. _

_"I, uh, was wondering - have you ever watched football?"_

_She raised an eyebrow. "Foot - ball?"_

_"Yeah, football. Oh, Kiddo, it's the greatest game in the world. I used to play in school, and it's super fun."_

_She now glanced at the TV, and she saw men on a green field, and they were tackling one another. There were two colors of jerseys on the screen, one blue and green and the other white and red. _

_"In this game, you get to tackle people," Darren now emphasized._

_"You - do?"_

_"Yeah." He smiled now. "You get to hit them as hard as you can. See, the defense has to tackle the guy with the ball. Right now, the Niners, my favorite team, are on defense. They're the ones in white. The Seahawks have the ball, and we have to stop them from scoring the touchdown."_

_"Touchdown?"_

_"Yup. How about you come watch this game with me, and I'll teach you all about it? Then, after that, you and I can play catch."_

_"Girls can play?"_

_"Of course, but no girl has ever been tough enough to go all the way to the pros."_

_She knitted her eyebrows together. "I'm tough."_

_He smiled. "I know you are, so maybe I can teach you to play."_

_"Okay." _

_She moved over to sit on the couch, hesitantly sitting right next to him. Soon, both were engrossed in the game on the screen, and Beca was as enthusiastic as him. He was so excited that she was enjoying it that he didn't mind her million questions._

_"What was that?"_

_"That was a field goal. Remember I told you we have four tries to gain ten yards for a first down or score the touchdown?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"So if we fail, they either kick it through the goal post-"_

_"The fork - looking thing?"_

_"Yeah, or they punt it, meaning they kick it to the other team."_

_"Oh, but why can't they try again?"_

_"Well, they can go for it on 4th down, but if they fail, the other team gets the ball from right there, and they'll be very close to scoring."_

_"Oh, okay."_

_When Leah returned home, she found the two running around in the backyard playing catch and trying to tackle one another. The elder woman leaned against the doorway, her heart soaring as a smile graced her features, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes._

_"Ha, touchdown!" Darren now yelled as Beca caught a long pass._

_"Did you see that, Dad!" Beca now squealed, and Leah gasped. Darren went rigid, his own eyes glossing over. "I caught it with one hand! I did!"_

_"Yeah, you did, babygirl! Come here!"_

Without hitch, Beca rushed into his arms, hugging him tightly as he enveloped her. 

_"Oh, I love you, Kiddo," he breathed._

_She gasped, looking up. "You do?"_

_"Of course I do, and I always will."_

_"But why? My old dad didn't even like me."_

_A single tear rolled down his face as he kneeled before her, cupping her cheeks. "Your old dad just wasn't smart enough to see how amazing you are."_

_"Yeah, but that's 'cause he couldn't teach me football. He didn't know how."_

_He chuckled. "He just didn't deserve such an amazing little girl, but I promise that I will never leave you like that. If you give me a chance, I promise I'll always be here for you."_

_"Real promise?"_

_"Yes, a real promise."_

_She looked at him for a long while as if gaging his sincerity before nodding. "Then - you'll be my dad then? And we can play football?"_

_"Yes, we can, and yes, I'll be your dad if you want me to."_

_She now nodded more vigorously. "Yeah, I do. I like you as a dad. You're way better."_

_He had to grin at that, pulling her back into his arms. "Well, it's easy when you have a super cool daughter."_

* * *

The beauty of San Francisco was breathtaking to say the least. After a day following a real estate agent around, the waterfront property settled on by the family was awe - inspiring. Getting settled in was much easier than originally believed, but the fact that they were together may have eased the stress of relocation across the country. Once all was settled, the boys and Beca took a tour of their new stadium as well as the training facility. The news of their arrival would be announced the next day, and they knew that it would be a very rigorous first day at the team facilities. With that in mind, Jesse, Donald and Luke stopped to retrieve several cases of beer and some pizza before heading back to the Mitchell house for R&R. It would be the last fattening meal they would have for awhile.

"I still say that you should wear a cup, you know," Jesse now reasoned with Beca. "I mean, I'm sure, if someone hits you _there _hard enough one of these days, the misses is going to be shit out of luck for a few weeks, and-"

"Jess, I _do _wear a cup," Beca now replied thoughtlessly.

"Oh...well then. Glad we have that covered. Anyway, doesn't really matter anymore, huh? That's what Luke's for."

"Did you just compare me to a jockstrap, Swanson?" Luke now asked, quirking an eyebrow as his bottle froze halfway to his lips. "I know you didn't."

"Oh, but Bryant, I did. I really did," Jesse nodded, sipping his beer. "So what's up? Beer pong?"

"Battle shots?" Donald offered.

"What the hell is battle shots?" Chloe now asked, entering the den.

"It's like Battle ship, but you line up cups of shots, and if they hit your ship, you drink that shot."

"So it's a classic yet modern turn on beer pong?"

"Yeah, and a bit more classy and ingenius, you know," Beca injected.

"Of course."

"But, no, boys. Nothing of the sort," Aubrey now chided as she entered with Kelly. "We have a big day tomorrow, and we don't want you all hungover for your first press conference."

"Bree!" they all groaned.

"You sound like college kids all over again," Kelly huffed.

"What did you expect putting all four of them in the same resident city again?" Chloe scoffed.

"Yeah, I guess that's true."

"Fine," Jesse sighed. "Game film then?"

"Game film," Beca and Luke nodded. "Most definitely."

"Okay, I'll go get the discs Coach Jackson gave me out of my car."

"I'll go get the cooler."

Beca chuckled as the boys vacated the room, Aubrey and Chloe heading off to check on the kids. She took a sip of her beer. watching the mop of red hair disappear.

"Still surreal, huh?" the blonde asked with a smile.

"No shit," Beca returned, a smirk adorning her lips. "Never thought I'd see this day."

"Oh, you would've. Whether it was here or in Barden, we always find our way back to each other. It's nice though, you know? Being together."

Beca chortled. "The funniest thing is that you and Chloe are that tight after starting off mortal enemies in high school."

"Yeah, well, there was a magic hobbit torn down the middle."

"I guess I'm pretty awesome. You know, you probably would have been faster friends in college had you refrained from dying your hair."

"Ugh." The blonde now rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me. I was such a creep in college. I just -wasn't used to not getting what I wanted, you know. I literally lost my mind that first semester."

"Oh, we know." Kelly smacked her arm now. "Hey, I'm just being honest. Besides, Kels, we all lose our mind sometimes. It's not a thing. If I do recall, I lost mine too, and you sort of saved my ass just a little bit."

"Yeah, I do in fact recall. Even though you lectured me about it for ten minutes afterwards."

"Yeah, but then I hugged you for ten more minutes, so I evened it out."

She giggled. "It's true. You did. We had our history I guess, but I'm glad we worked it out."

"Yeah, me too. We both grew up, and you make my brother happy. That's all I can ask for."

"Ha! I'll never forget him asking you for permission to date me."

She snorted. "Yeah, after you guys made out on New Year's. I just don't get it. Everyone seems to ask _me_ for permission."

"Well, you're the man of the house, head of the family. You're the reason we're all here, you know. It seems only right that we have your blessing."

"Well, I was glad to give it."

"Thank goodness too. Either way, you did well, Becs. You have a beautiful family."

"So do you. Now come on. Let's go in there before the pizza's all gone. I need another beer."

Half an hour later, Kelly, Chloe, Stacie, Lily, Jessica and Ashley came down the stairs from putting most of the children to bed to find Beca and the boys in the den watching another film. They were busy dissecting it together, pointing out different things in the play calling and formations.

"It's classic west coast play calling," Donald pointed out.

"Yeah, but they love running that diamond," Beca pointed out. "The tight end's in the backfield as much as the fullback is."

"Passing game is conventional enough," Luke added. "They run the bunch, and Boldin gets open pretty frequently."

"Unless they double up on him," Aubrey now pointed out, ever the avid scientist of the game after all these years around it. "Then again, they can't possible double up Davis, Boldin _and _Crabtree, now can they?"

"Nope, that's the beauty of it. Plus, Kaep can run, so if they flush him out of the pocket, they still have to stop him."

Though their collaboration on things such as this was refreshing, it wasn't this fact that made their wives' hearts soar. It was the sight that accompanied the sound. Emmett sat attentively on Beca's lap, eyes enchanted by the screen. Isaac was leaning back on Luke's chest, his eyes shining with awe. Nico lay across Benji's legs, his features lit up with the same goofy yet enthralled look that his father held. Baron was repeating everything Donald said under his breath, his eyes following the movements on the screen. Anthony buzzed with as much excitement as Jesse, and Emma? Well, Emma was clapping softly and gasping when someone would get hit in the film while she sat curled into Aubrey's side.

"It's their life," Ashley breathed, eying her son.

"These boys are going to be no different than their dads," Stacie agreed.

"Hey, Emma's just as excited," Chloe pointed out.

"Yeah, maybe she'll be Emmett's manager when it comes time."

"I'd love to see that."

"You think we did well?" Jessica now questioned. "You think they'll do well with this move?"

"I think they're going to be fine as long as they're all together," Kelly returned, patting her shoulder. "I know the Mitchells and Conrads have moved before, but I think that for us, as long as we have family, we'll be okay."

"Trust me," Chloe now said. "It's much easier when you have family."

* * *

The conference room was packed the moment that the doors opened. Coach Adams and Coach Jackson sat on either side of the table with Benji and Cal, Barden's old defensive coordinator and the Niners' new defensive line coach. In between them sat Luke, Jesse, Donald and Beca at the center. Aubrey and Stacie, their personal publicist, stood to the side of the stage prepared for the onslaught of questions and praying Beca kept her cool although they may have been just as worried about Coach Jackson, who had already been badgered upon his arrival about Beca and her soiled track record. Also, the team owner had actually declined the conference today, and they knew that the press would jump on that. Once the green light was given, the room erupted in booming voices before they were reigned in by the team's PR team. Soon, reporters were being called on before they began spitballing questions.

"Smash Mitchell, will it really be any different here in the bay area than it was anywhere else?"

"Time will tell," Beca replied coarsely. "Here, I have a team that I know and trust, a coaching staff and a fullback that I'm familiar with, that I'm comfortable with."

"Are you saying you didn't trust other teammates?"

"There are different levels of trust. These guys I've known over a decade now. I'm comfortable with them. I've put time in with them, and instead of having to adjust to a team within a few weeks, I have them here."

"Coach Adams, you've taken over for Coach Jim Harbaugh here. How big are those shoes you have to fill?"  
Coach Adams smirked. "They're probably pretty big. Luckily, I brought my own fitted pair from back home. I'm not here to overshadow or outdo anyone. They handed me the job because Coach Harbaugh felt he had better opportunities elsewhere. All the luck to him. He was a great coach. He won a ring here, and I idolize him. I'm only here to lead this team given to me, to be myself as a coach. They didn't hire 'another Harbaugh'. They hired Evan Adams."

"Now, Coach, what led you to sign these four players? I mean, Smash Mitchell has been in decline for three years. Swanson and Bryant have been playing arena football. Grey has been an average player in Tampa Bay. Plus, you've also hired another kid fresh out of college to be your assistant coach. I mean, it seems like a makeshift McGyver contraption you've got here."

"Well, first and foremost, Smash Mitchell has had her ups and downs. Every player does at different intervals of the game. RGIII had his decline in the second season of his career. He was traded from Washington and is now dominating in Arizona. The point though is that I believe everyone deserves an honest chance. Beca was pretty much thrown around the last two seasons, never given any solidarity in a location. The only man who knows Beca better than me as a coach is the man at the other end of this table. Luckily, we're all on the same team, and we know we can get her back to her game.

Now, Swanson and Bryant are superb players. They refused their invitations to the combine four years ago when I know for a fact they would have been drafted no later than the second round had they gone. Trust me. I got those calls. As for Grey, he too had been overshadowed by other receivers getting more touches. He has heart though. In Barden, we pride ourselves on heart. We never would have won anything in Division I ball if we didn't. Heart won a lot of games when talent stalled out to bigger and better players. Soon, there were no more bigger or better players. Now, we're here, and our heart we'll get us back to our prime."

"And the coach? Uh, Benjamin Applebaum?"

There were some snickers, but Coach Adams only grinned. "I can guarantee you that Coach Applebaum knows this game better than many players. He has a sharp mind. He graduated top of his engineering class, but his mind has so many more capabilities. He is observant. He helped us greatly back in Barden on many different things, and I trust his judgement. I trust him. Therefore, I hired him because I know that though he has less experience, he is more experienced than most."

"Now, Jesse Swanson, how does it feel playing under these circumstances? Coming into the NFL and playing with old teammates and coaches?"

Jesse now leaned towards his microphone. "You know, it's funny because literally five minutes before we got the call about the offer, Beca was talking about how we could have gone to the NFL had we wanted to out of college. We told her that arena football was like the generic form of your favorite cereal, but it was filling. We wanted to stay with the family, be home. Then I said that if an NFL team called right now and said I could play with these guys again, I would take the offer no questions asked. Here we are. This is our family. This is our team always and forever, so being here is a dream come true."

"What about you, Bryant?"

"I feel the exact same way," Luke now replied. "I think this is good for all of us. You need chemistry on the field. You need that bond, and I think having that going in is going to be a big help. I wouldn't pick up and move across the country if I didn't think it would work. Leaving home is never easy, so I wouldn't have done it had I not trusted Coach Adams or Coach Jackson."

"Apart from these players, Coach Adams, you also have some veterans on the team. How do you think these changes will effect guys like Colin Kaepernick and Vernon Davis, Anquan Boldin or Mario Manningham."

"Well, now you're talking about my passing game," he smiled. "I've talked to the guys. They have taken nicely to our new coaching staff in the past couple of weeks. Kaep happens to be a supporter of Smash Mitchell, and I think he'll take well to the new players we've brought in."

"How does Grey fit in with these other receivers?"

"Actually, we've been thoroughly discussing it, and he played defense in college. That's what he was drafted for, but he gained some speed while on Tampa's special teams. They swapped him. We may just swap him back based on the deals we're currently working with some of our defensive members."

"Coach, do you really think that you can bring this team back from the dead making such questionable moves in your first month at-"

"Look, I'm a coach. A lot of this job is trial and error. If no one ever failed, this team wouldn't be in shambles right now. Obviously, the big money and big names weren't enough to keep them afloat after the championship, so here we are. I trust these players. I know they'll give me their best. If they don't give it to me, they give it to each other, to their families. Beca won't go out there without every intention of making these men proud. I trust them, and though this may seem unorthodox and questionable to you, nothing has ever made more sense to me."  
"Okay, that's all the time we have," the PR team now cut in. "Thank you all for coming."

* * *

The first day of training camp was brutal to say the least. Though the new recruits fit in quite well, it was still a day of discomfort because this was so brand new. Sure, there was a bit of tension amongst some of the older players. The running backs who were sure they would see more playing time when Frank Gore retired were not Beca's biggest fans. They weren't Luke's either because now, even the fullback position looked filled. Nonetheless, they persevered, working hard alongside their new teammates. If there was one thing Beca had to be respected for though, it was her work ethic. She put in far more hours in the weight room, on the treadmill, on the field, and in the film room than anyone else. She never went anywhere without her playbook, and what many learned was that Beca had adopted her own superstitions and habits over her career. When she hit the sauna or the hot tub after practice, she always had an extra mouthpiece to bite down on. It was a focus thing. She tended to hit the hot tub with her helmet on, and she had no qualms about being in the sauna in nothing but a towel, a sports bra and a ball in hand. After all, who would try anything with Luke and Jesse flanking her, Donald never far away. What could be said by the entire team was that their chemistry was palpable.

"How was the first day?" the wives asked as Beca and the boys entered the Conrad residence where the first of the routine family dinners would commence.

"It was good," Beca nodded, kissing Chloe's cheek.

"Mmm, I missed you," the redhead whispered, pecking her lips now.

"I missed you too, Love. How are the kids?"

"Good. Peyton and Isaiah were having races today crawling around the living room."

"Ha! My babies. Speed training already."

"You know it."

"Where are they?"

"In there."

"M-ma-ma!" Emmett squealed as she turned the corner into the living room.

"Hey, Buddy!" she replied, swooping him up and kissing his forehead. "I missed you!"

"I m-m-miss y-you, M-Ma-ma. Y-y-you p-pay f-foo-ball?"

"Yes, Sir, I did."

"C-c-cool!"

"Come on, Son."

"Hey, turn on the TV," Jesse now advised. "They were going to interview our new teammates, and I wanna know who I have to knee in the chinstrap tomorrow."

"Babe, please don't get suspended before preseason," Kelly groaned.

"Be - have, Daddy!" Anthony now shot out as he stood at Jesse's side.

"Sorry, Pal, I'll behave," the man assured the toddler, picking him up.

"Hi, Unco B!" Emma now greeted.

From the time she was born, Emma had always been calm with Beca. No one was sure how, but she was in fact closest to Beca aside from Emmett. She and Emmett were only a few weeks apart, and to this day, Aubrey and Chloe still argued over how similar their names were. Emmett was older though, and Chloe sort of won by default.

"Hey, Emma," Beca cooed, leaning down to kiss the crown of her head. "What's up?"

"I pway wif Emmett to - day."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Y-y-yeah, M-M-Mama. W-we p-pay!"

Beca smiled, leading both toddlers over to the couch where Aubrey was now programming the TV to ESPN. The moment it came up, the announcers were already on subject. The family gathered around, Jessica and Ashley coming in from the kitchen.

"And the rumors have been confirmed," John Smith, always the lead alongside Gail, began. "The San Francisco Forty Niners have in fact signed the Barden Rebels. Or at least, a handful of them. With four coaches and four players, the team has given way to the legacies of Barden football. This includes..."

"Yes!" Gail now cut in. "Smash Mitchell. Along with Jesse Swanson and Luke Bryant, who have played the last few years with the Atlanta Force in the AFL, and Donald Grey, who was traded by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for Parrish Cox and Tim Harding. Then there's Offensive coordinator Victor Jackson, Head Coach Evan Adams, Defensive Line Coach Cal Reagan and Assistant Coach Benjamin Applebaum."

"Wow, they sure did sign a big majority of that powerhouse, didn't they?"

"Yes, but we now go over to Deion Sanders, who spoke to some of the veteran Niners about the new recruits and their thoughts on being joined by Smash Mitchell."

Now Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback of the Niners, appeared on screen.

"I think it's great," he now said into the microphone held in front of his face. "I'm a fan, no lie. I mean, we played Barden back in my senior year at Nevada, and they are an amazing team. I know that people are looking at Smash Mitchell's record in the NFL, but honestly, I think she only had one real chance. She was moved around a lot, and I think we can find her a comfort zone here in our backfield. She has incredible speed. You know, I run a lot. I scramble, but having speed like hers back here. It opens up a lot of options."

"And what about the others?"

"I mean, I watched some game film on Swanson and Bryant. They're two very skilled players, but they're also very smart. I mean, they play smart ball, and I think we need that. As for Grey, I've played against him. I don't think he was given a proper chance either, and I know for a fact, he has so much potential yet to be utilized."

"How do you feel about Coach Harbaugh's departure and Coach Adams's arrival?"

"I mean, it's hard seeing my coach of the last five years leave, you know, but Coach Adams is a really cool guy. He's smart. He has a lot of confidence in us, and he listens to us, you know. I miss Jim, but I think on two different levels, they're the same kind of laid back and conservative guy. I mean, Adams has so much experience in high pressure situations, and I can't wait to see what he does with it."

"What about the rookie assistant coach?"

"Hey, man, I know everyone's bagging on him, but let me tell you. I sat in a room for about twenty minutes with the guy. In that time, he dissected my entire play style then he tore apart our offense and put it back together. He makes you think. He is crazy sharp, and I can't wait to work with him. I think you'll be surprised."

"Thank you, Kaep."

Now, Kaep was replaced by defensive linebacker Patrick Willis and wide receiver Anquan Boldin, legends and two of Beca's favorite all - time players.

"Hey, man, I'm getting old, and they're bringing all these new kids in," Patrick chuckled when he was asked about his initial response. "I'm a little worried. No, but let me tell you. I can't wait to see what they bring to the table. I like this coaching staff, you know. They deserve some credit."

"And Smash Mitchell?"

"Smash Mitchell, man. These players need to lay off of her, for real. She has heart. She came in this league. She's taken hits and made mistakes like anyone else, but she never made excuses. She has a lot of heart, and we need that right now. We have a lot of weapons, a lot of talent, but now we need heart. We need someone to step up, help us get our heads out our asses and make something happen. I'm a fan."

"What about you, Anquan?"

"Well, I mean, I know that everyone keeps talking about her getting that hit back a couple of years. They all say that she should have been able to take it, but I don't think you understand. She only missed what? Two weeks on that? In case everyone forgot, I took a hit just like that back when I was in Arizona, man. I missed the rest of the season because I was shook up. She had the heart to get back in it, you know. It ain't easy when players make those hits, and I'll be the first to say I think her hit was intentional. The play was a fail, and I guarantee that I'll be out there protecting her as best I can. If you get past me, you should be worried because if it ain't me, it'll be Bryant or Swanson. Those two _live _to protect her so."

"Well, the team seems to like you," Chloe now commented, rubbing Beca's shoulders.

"Wait for this one," Jesse now sighed as another halfback, Ron Dixon, appeared.

"What do you think about it, Ron?"

"I don't know, Man," he replied with a huff. "I mean, it seems like all of this was last minute. These signings were a bit amateur if you ask me. They were picked right away, no thought put into it. I mean, I don't see how you can lose Frank Gore and replace him, a future hall - of - fame back, with a struggling halfback. I mean, we have monsters in our division. We have Freddy Andreas and Devin Marshall, two pro bowl linebackers with our numbers."

"Well, Smash Mitchell has beaten them before."

"Yeah, before she had her head broken. I just don't see it."

"Jackass," Chloe growled.

"Language, auntie Chwoe!" Anthony and Baron warned.

"Sorry, Boys."

"W-w-wan-gu-age, Mommy," Emmett said quietly.

"Okay, that's enough of that," Aubrey now sighed. "Dinner table. Now. Let's go."

Dinner was beautiful. The table of course wasn't complete. They were missing many, but they were all together in spirit. They worried as much as their family in Barden did about the others, but there were constant text messages and pictures to keep them connected. Beca knew she was doing this to make everyone back home proud, but it got to her here and there. She wondered if she was selfish for taking this deal when she could have stayed to play arena football in Georgia. The one she worried about most was of course Grandma Penny. In the last decade, the elder woman had been the sweetest woman to her, never judging her by her past and loving her without limitations even back when she was adamant on not letting people in. She now loved the woman with every fiber of her being as much as she loved her wife, her children, the others. Nonetheless, Grandma Penny had relentlessly assured her before their departure, and when she called her the moment they arrived in the bay area, the woman had sounded as happy as she had when she heard of the offer. She wanted Beca happy, and sometimes, Beca considered the idea that Leah and Darren Cale were speaking through her from their place in the clouds. She only wanted to make them all proud, and she would not relent until she did so. They were everything.

* * *

_"How is it looking out there, Baby? Is it beautiful?"_

_"It is, Grandma Penny. You would love it."_

_"Not as much as I love old Barden."_

_Beca smirked. "Of course not. We miss you though."_

_"Oh, and I miss you, Beca Baby. I'll make a game or two."_

_"You better. Day off today, right?"_

_"Yes, Sweetie. Cynthia and Denise brought Owen by, and we had some ice cream."_

_"That's good." _

_"You give them hell, okay, Becs?"_

_"I plan too, but don't raise too much hell while I'm gone."_

_She giggled. "You worry too much. Worrying makes you old. That's my job."_

_"We're family. We take everything on together."_

_"Don't I know it. Lauren and Michelle came by yesterday. They are so cute together."_

_"Aren't they though? I'm glad they found each other."_

_"Oh, me too. Leah and Darren are coming tomorrow, so I'll never be lonely."_

_"I'm glad to hear it."_

_"Seriously, Becs, don't worry too much. I promise I'll be here to see you win a super bowl. I will not go before then, and no one can make me."_

_Beca chuckled. "I love you."_

_"I love you too, Honey. Give everyone hugs and the kids kisses for me."_

_"I will."_

_"And you take care of Chlo Bear, huh?"_

_"Always."_

_"Good, because when it's all over, she'll be the one there growing old with you."_

_"I know."_


	6. Inspire Me

**_A/N: Okay Ill be honest. My inspiration here on this is dwindling. Rapidly. Again. First and foremost, I am devastated over this weekend's game. Im sorry, but football is a big chunk of my livelihood, my life, and my Niners are sacred, so it was a tough weekend. Plus, although many have written me regarding this story and my slacking on it before and during me writing it, there hasn't been much feedback to reflect that, so Im not sure how many are actually still following. I however DEEPLY appreciate those who have been following it and have been letting me know. I will finish it, but I can't say it'll come as quickly as those prior. My ADD has been ever so horrible lately, and it seems like the fandom itself is just on and off day after day, so like I said, I'll finish, but it may take some time. HOPEFULLY once this pain of loss goes away in a couple of weeks, I can come back full force but not as of now. So thanks for your understanding_**

* * *

"Son of a bitch!" Beca roared, throwing down her helmet in the locker room.

"It was one quarter, Becs," Luke reasoned.

"That doesn't matter! Negative fourteen yards? You know that the team owners are watching every single mistake I make."

"It's only preseason."

"Luke, I got cut last time after the first preseason game, remember?"

"Look, Coach has your back. It isn't-"

"He can't always risk his career for me, Luke."

"B, come on," Jesse groaned. "I dropped three passes."

"Yeah, well then they may just cut us all!"

"Stop being so damn negative," Coach Jackson now boomed as he entered. "Becs, it's one game. I know you have power, kid, but you gotta stop running away from the defense. Run through those assholes! They were taunting you all game, and I know you. You don't just back down from those punks."

"I wasn't trying to."

"Well, try not to harder! Hit them before they hit you! Knock them on their asses!"

"Got dammit! I mean, it's fucking Cleveland for crying out loud. It's shameful."

"Only if you let it be, kid. You need some inspiration. Where's that heart I saw eight years running back then? Where is it? Where's the kid that let Tom Edwards get away with not blocking you and made plays anyway? Because I'm starting to see the whiny baby that you swore not to be. I hate to be blunt about it, but Becs. This isn't you. Come on."

"I - I know. Fuck! I just-"

"It's one game. They aren't going to cut you. In case you didn't notice, quarters two through four didn't have any rushing yards either .Our defense scored the only touchdown, and that won us the damn game. Everyone's rusty. Let's go, Kid."

"I know what we need to do," Jesse now said, determination in his eyes. "You need inspiration? I'll give you some inspiration, Mitchell."

The field was lush, the stands crowded and overflowing though it was only a pee wee game. The sea of gold and blue was dense, all coming to see the star that had just come over to play in San Jose with bigger stakes, even for ten - year -olds. Beca followed Jesse, Luke and Donald onto the sideline where the coach shook their hands with a big grin. They were a bit late, and the offense was already on the field.

"It's an honor to have you here with us," Coach Rowland stated as he grasped Beca's hand. "You guys are a true inspiration to all of these kids."

"Well, I'm looking for some inspiration myself," Beca now replied.

She now stood watching the offense, eyes trained on the tiny halfback awaiting the handoff. When it was given, number six darted out of the backfield, weaving through defenders before being dragged down, a thirty - yard gain. The fans were going wild, and Beca smiled fondly. She was surely impressed. She continued to watch, the halfback scoring two plays later. Beca kept her head low, not wanting to alert the players of her presence until halftime. When that time came, Coach Rowland pulled the halfback aside, talking a moment before gesturing to Beca. She was then met with wide eyes and a mouth hanging agape. She smiled.

"Smash Mitchell?" the halfback gasped after reaching Beca.

"Sam Gordon, right?" Beca replied, shaking the little girl's hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm a big fan."

"Are you kidding me? You - you're the best."

She chuckled. "I'm serious. You're amazing out there."

"You're playing for the Niners now. My dad got season tickets."

"Is that right? Well, I'm hoping I can make a few more games here."

"Really? To see me?"

"Yes, that's right. You have skills, kid. Speed."

"I'm really small."

"Hey, so am I."

"I know. I tried to get your number, but the older kids took it."

"Hey, you keep that number six. Soon, that's going to be everyone's favorite number. Be you. You're going to be great, kid."

"I wanna play college ball like you."

"Hey, you keep doing that, and division I is going to be in trouble."

"Thanks." She now looked up, her face falling kind of nervous before speaking again. "I saw the game last week, against Cleveland."

"Yeah, I didn't do so well. I actually came here to ask your opinion."

The little girl gasped again. "What? Really?"

"Yeah, you've inspired me. I think I need that right now."

"I think that -" She donned a pensive look now as Beca kneeled before her. "I think that you're afraid to get hit like you did in Carolina again. My dad thinks so too, but I think they got lucky. You're way too fast to get hit like that again."

"My wife said the same thing."

"Yeah, Miss Chloe, right?"

Beca smiled. "Yes, ma'am."

"I think that you might be in - in-timidated. A little, but you shouldn't be. You played great your first year. You're great, and I think you just have to believe in yourself, Miss Smash. People try to hit you hard because they know you're good. They know they'll lose if they let you play good, so I think that you should let them be more scared of you than you are of them."

"I think you're right, Flash Gordon."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Flash Gordon?"

"Yeah, he was a superhero and quarterback of the New York Jets. The actor's real name is actually Sam, so I figured it fit. Plus, Flash, you know. Your speed deserves it."

"Cool! You gave me a nickname."

"Yes, I did."

"And it kinda rhymes with Smash."

Beca smiled. "Yes, it does. Hey, maybe one of these days, I can come down. We can play catch or something. How does that sound?"

"Oh my gosh! Really?"

"Yeah, of course."

"That would be a dream come true."

"Good."

She placed a tentative hand on Beca's shoulder now. "Smash, I believe in you. I know you can be great. _You_ just have to believe in you."

Beca nodded. "You're a smart kid, Flash."

"Thanks, but I mean it."

Beca chortled. "I promise. I'll believe."

"Good, because I'll be watching."

"I'll make you proud."

"Okay, but-" She now looked down a moment. "Can - can you sign my football and put my nickname on it?"

"Of course."

News of Beca's San Jose visit to see Sam Gordon was all over every major news station before she even arrived home. When she reached the Mitchell residence, she was feeling optimistic and relaxed. She heard her children the moment she entered, and she only wanted to spend some time with them. She found the three in their play room, Emmett watching cartoons while the twins crawled around with one another.

"Hey, Babies!" she called, picking up the two smaller children in her arms before sitting on the couch with Emmett.

"H-h-hi, M-m-mama!" Emmett returned, standing up on the couch to kiss her cheek.

"Hey, my little man. What are you watching?"

"B-b-bubb-o G-guppies!"

"Hey, Baby Love," Chloe now greeted, coming in from the lounge.

"Hey, Baby, how was your day?"

"Good. I was working a few things with CR for the label earlier. All done now though."

"Good, so we can have Mitchell R&R now."

"Yes."

Chloe now took Isaiah in her arms, settling down beside her wife. Beca ran a hand over her daughter's curls now, and the little girl giggled, blue eyes twinkling up at her mother.

"Peyton!" she cooed, tickling her chin. "Look at you! Getting so big. You know, you share a name with one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history."

"Plus, you're the daughter of a future NFL legend," Chloe now added, pecking her wife's cheek.

"You are just destined to be a badass."

"W-w-wang - u -age!" Emmett now shrieked.

"Sorry, buddy," Beca chuckled, ruffling his hair before turning back to her daughter. "I have not spent enough time with you, princess. You just grow an inch everyday. You are going to be a stunner like your Mommy, did you know that?" Peyton giggled now. "Yeah, you most certainly are. Oh, my babygirl." She pecked the girl's nose now. "And Ice." She turned to her twin son. "Man, Son, you are just getting so big. Are you stealing your sister's food?" The boy giggled, taking Beca's offered hand in both of his. "Yes, look at you. You're gonna be a little heartbreaker like your brother."

"Like your daddy once upon a time."

"Lies, Mrs. Mitchell!"

"Truth, Mrs. Beale! You forget, Kelly and I are tight. She told me all about your little middle school escapades."

"I was in middle school. S-E-X wasn't even a topic."

"No, but kissing ninth graders on the track field was, wasn't it?"

"Damn it, Kels."

"Yes, exactly."

"Hey, I was young and unruly."

"Exactly."

"So you can't hold it against me. All that was expunged with my juvenile record."

"Oh, right. Sorry, Baby."

"Thank you very much."

"So I saw that your San Jose trip's all over the news."

"Already? Jesus."

"Yes, and it was beautiful. You looked so - happy, like finding the secret of life."

"I may have."

"Well, I hope she got through to you."

Beca looked at her wife now. "Hey. Don't think that I don't find inspiration in my own family. I guess that I just need all the help I can get."

"Yes, because you're still that bullheaded Beca."

"Isn't that who you fell in love with?"

"Yes, I did, but I also fell in love with the Beca who never gave up."

"Oh, I gave up once."

"No, you walked away after fighting your side of the war. Eventually, it was my move."

"Well, I'm glad you made that move. Even if it was out of a moving truck and into another one."

"Yeah, but it's going to be a great story to tell them one day."

"Isn't it though?"

"Do you think - would you wanna have more?"

Beca shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. Once these ones have grown up. I'm still shocked that we have three, you know."

"Yeah, I know, but I wouldn't change it for the world."

The brunette smiled now. "Neither would I."

"Y-you w-wuv us, M-m-mama?" Emmett asked now, peeling his eyes away from the TV to look at his mother.

"Yes, Son, very much," she replied, wrapping an arm around him.

"I w-w-wuv y-you."

"I love you too, Babyboy."

* * *

After finalizing all paperwork that needed to be so, Aubrey retired upstairs to find her wife fresh out of the shower, running a towel through her damp and wavy brunette locks in front of their vanity mirror. The blonde smiled, wrapping her arms around Stacie's waist.

"You done, Baby?" Stacie asked, melting into her wife's embrace.

"Yes, and I just checked on the kids," the blonde purred. "Fast asleep."

"Ooh, is that a proposition, Mrs. Conrad?"

"Maybe. Why don't you find out?"

The brunette turned around, allowing her robe to fall away from her curvy frame before wrapping her arms around the blonde. Aubrey smiled coyly, her hands bracketing Stacie's waist as the taller woman leaned down to capture her lips in a soft but heated kiss.

"It's been too long," Stacie moaned into her wife's mouth as Aubrey pulled off her shirt.

"I know, but now we can make up for all that lost time," Aubrey purred, moving her lips down to the brunette's neck.

Without hitch, Stacie reached down, gripping the back of Aubrey's thighs and hoisting her up before carrying her to their bed. The blonde pulled her wife down on top of her once she hit the mattress. Stacie's lips moved along her jawline and down her neck, her lithe digits unclasping the blonde's bra and moving the obstructing piece of clothing away. She massaged one breast while simultaneously taking the other into her mouth, eliciting a gasp as Aubrey's hand wrapped around the back of her neck. The blonde bit down on her lip when Stacie's lips continued to travel south, her tongue trailing along before she began nipping at the skin of her hip then her inner thigh.

"Stace," Aubrey breathed. "Please."

"I got you, Baby," the brunette husked, warm breath tickling Aubrey's skin. "Relax."

Stacie took the shorts and panties the blonde had been wearing now, pulling them down her slender legs at a painstakingly slow pace. The brunette always loved to push her wife to her limits, watching as the naturally controlled and composed Aubrey Conrad became reduced to sharp breaths and sporadic spasms in her muscles. This time however, Aubrey's legs swiftly swung over the brunette's shoulders, pulling her back in. Stacie smirked as her wife's fingers became entangled in chocolate tresses, her tongue flicking rapidly against the blonde's ball of nerves. This earned a guttural moan, Aubrey's nails clawing at the taller woman's scalp relentlessly. When her lips began sucking, her teeth gently tugging, Aubrey lost all control. Her legs tightened around her wife's body.

"Yes," she squeaked. "Stace."

Stacie sped up her ministrations, her hand reaching up to reclaim Aubrey's breast while the other stimulated her further, fingers running down slick folds. WIthout warning, she slid two fingers into the blonde. Aubrey bit down hard on her lip to stifle a pleasurable scream, no doubt drawing blood. The brunette snaked her body back up to capture Aubrey's lips with her own as she continued her thrusts. The blonde's hand shot downward between them now, feeling Stacie's arousal and shuddering at the touch. She too slid two fingers into her wife, and the brunette gasped, her grasp tightening around the shorter woman's breast. Each of them pumped into their wife with increasingly faster strokes, their walls soon tightening around the other's fingers. Not long after, Aubrey's body went completely rigid before convulsing several times. She muffled another scream by biting into the skin of Stacie's shoulder, eyes rolling back into her head. That in turn sent Stacie up and over, and she buried her face into the crook of Aubrey's neck. The brunette continued her stroke until Aubrey's body went lax, but before it did, she came a second time. Her legs wrapped tightly around her wife's back as she hungrily sealed their lips together. At last, Aubrey descended, her wife already lax and breathing heavily into her neck. Stacie's ability to please her never ceased to amaze the blonde. Even after all of this time with two children, the sex remained mind blowing to say the least.

Hours later after several rounds, Aubrey rested her head on her wife's chest, fingers drawing random patterns along the silky olive skin of her belly. Stacie lightly pressed her lips to the blonde's forehead, her own fingers combing through Aubrey's hair.

"I haven't been this relaxed in ages," Aubrey sighed.

"Tell me about it," Stacie replied softly. "That's okay though. I love having to relax you."

Aubrey hummed into her neck. "I know you do. As do I."

"All in all though, this is good, you know. I like it here so far. I mean, it's beautiful. The kids love the beach, and the city itself is historic."

"Yeah, I know. I just hope that it's good for Beca too, you know. She beats herself up so much."

"She'll get the hang of it. You just keep doing what you do, Baby."

"You really like it here though?"

"Yes, I really do."

"Thank you, Stace. For sticking with me and-"

"Hey, I'm in love with you, Blondie. You can't just get rid of me by moving out of state." Aubrey giggled, tickling Stacie's neck. "I couldn't live without you anywhere, so I'll live with you everywhere. Besides, Chloe and I have a lot of fun while you two work."

Aubrey chuckled again. "Of course you do. And you two have done an amazing job with these children as well."

"Oh, we do try. Though our daughter is going to be just like you. She loves the game more and more everyday. I remember when you didn't give much to it, and now you're a fanatic."

"Well, I guess watching for ten years ninety percent of the time, it grows on you."

"Yeah, that's true. Just remember, Baby. Actually, both you _and _Beca have to remember this. Whether you're watching it or playing it, it's just a game. Enjoy it."

"You always know what to say."

"That's why you married me, right?"

She looked up now, pressing a soft kiss to the brunette's cheek. "And so much more."

* * *

Traveling to Kansas City for the third game of the preseason, Beca had been in the right state of mind. She had been prepared mentally, and of course physically, to make a statement. Getting a huge surprise two days prior to said game? Well, she was unfortunately _not _prepared for that.

"What!" Adams roared, staring at team owner Ben Harrison with bulging eyes.

"We've signed him, Evan," the man calmly returned.

"Alex Donahue? I-"

"Look, Mitchell has yet to deliver in the preseason."

"It's preseason!"

"She has not shown one sign of improvement."

"We brought her in last minute. She's ready though. She was in positive yardage last week."

"Thirty yards? Come on, Coach Adams. You know that isn't-"

"Look, I asked you to have me on this."

"I did, but I can't just forfeit another season because you wanna help the kid. I brought you here to win, not to continue this routine we've had for four years."

"Look, you haven't given her anything yet. I believe in her, but-"

"Well, I'll be frank, Coach. I don't. Alex Donahue has been doing a fantastic job in St. Louis, and he specifically looked for a spot here."

"He averages three injuries per season. He missed seven games last year, five the year before."

"Nonetheless, he has brought in wins, and it's up to your squad to keep him healthy."

"You traded my number three receiver for him!"

"Yes, and you're lucky I didn't trade Mitchell. I would've had St. Louis been on board. Now, you can go do your job and get another receiver, or we can continue this disagreement while my council looks for someone more capable of doing it."

Adams eyes him a moment before huffing. "He doesn't start this weekend."

"Fine, but he _will _start come regular season."

"_Unless _Beca shows improvement."

He chuckled. "Yeah, sure, Coach."

After Beca was informed of Donahue's arrival, the air that surrounded her was extremely dense. Anyone could see that, and all kept their distance. Well, all except their all - pro linebacker and Beca's personal idol, Patrick Willis. He approached her as she proceeded with her curls, a dumbbell in each hand weighing sixty pounds each.

"How's it going, Smash?" Patrick asked, patting her shoulder before picking up his own set.

"Good," she nodded sullenly. "I'm doing alright."

"Hey, you were getting it today. You looked good out there. Just keep that shoulder down and run through us. I know you have enough power in those legs to get through. Just trust that."

"Thanks."

"Hey, and don't worry about Donahue. Harrison is a cynical sonofabitch, you know? He doesn't take chances, and that's why we're here now. He's been trying to drain Kaep since we released Alex Smith. One bad game, and he gets on a mission. Show them you still got it."

"I'm trying."

"B." She looked up to meet his eyes now. "Stop trying. Just do it, Kid. You need something, I'll do what I can, but that fear inside of your own head. Get out of it. Stop thinking so much."

"Thanks, Willis. Really."

"No problem. I know potential when I see it."

Instead of the usual quarter, Beca was given a half of playing time as halfback in Kansas City. Though she racked up more yards than the past two games, forty yards still wasn't enough to pacify the skybox council. Donahue on the other hand, who took the second quarter, racked up the same amount. That was enough to seal the deal regarding the San Francisco starter come regular season. Still, there was one more preseason game they had to attend to against Dallas. The coaches were lost on what to do with her, and Alex Donahue was a hot topic. Nonetheless, they continued to try their best.

* * *

After Tuesday's afternoon meeting, Benji, Adams and Jackson stood around the sideline while the team hit the weight room. Beca had just been given the news that Donahue would be starting indefinitely come regular season play if the next game was a bust, and though she was anything but happy, she was also everything short of surprised. If anything, it were as if she had expected it. Adams didn't like that. He now stared at the grass, lost deep in thought.

"She just needs time," Jackson at last sighed. "She'll get it."

"And what if she doesn't, Vic? There's one more preseason game. I mean, we can only do so much. This is the big leagues. It's not about the players. It's about the money."

"Then..."

There were a few beats of silence, all three of them searching for a solution.

"We start her too," Benji now stated firmly.

His comrades looked up with confusion etched in their features, but his expression was determined and stern.

"What are you talking about?" Adams asked.

"Look, she's scared of the hit. Running the ball, she panics behind the line. What if she doesn't have the ball in the backfield yet though? We can put her on kicks and stuff, sure, but...What if we put her at receiver?"  
Their eyes nearly popped from their skulls. "You're kidding me."

"We need another receiver."

"She's five - foot - nothing, Ben."

"Yeah, but show me a six - foot - something cornerback that can keep up with her. We have a big line, a much bigger line than the Green Bay D - Line. They give Kaep enough time, Beca will be down the field. He has a bullet, you know. He can fit it anywhere, and Beca has hands. Start her at halfback Sunday then put her as receiver second half. It's worth a shot."

Jackson and Adams now traded looks while Benji lit up at his own prospect. Jackson then smiled, and Adams shrugged.

"It can't hurt, can it?" Adams at last pondered aloud.

"Not really," Jackson replied. "He said that Donahue had to start. We ease her back in as a wideout, and she'll be good to go after that, right?"

"Right. Okay."

"I'll talk to her. No worries. We'll be fine."

While the coaches returned to the war room to go over the alterations to the depth chart, the team continued their gym workout. The halfbacks had split up today to Beca's relief because she was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that they had signed Alex Donahue strictly as a starting back, the starting back she faced in college from USC. She had beat him out for the Heisman freshman year. She had been better once before, but she knew now that she was running out of chances to prove she remained so. Coach Jackson and Coach Adams could only protect her and defend her for so long. Something had to give.

"Mitchell!" Beca turned from where she was concluding her dead lifts to see Coach Jackson.

He gestured her over, and she patted Patrick's shoulder before approaching her coach. She followed him into his office, taking a seat across from him. He clasped his hands together, leaning forward on the desk as he scrutinized her. Judging by the look in her eyes, he knew that attempting to beat around the bush would be futile.

"You knew why they brought Donahue here," he sighed. "The team owners were skeptics to begin with. I've said it time and time again, but, B. Come on. What is it? What's the problem?"

"I don't know, Coach. I really don't. Every time I think I got it, I freeze up. I just don't understand it at all. There's - a part of my brain that I just can't clear, that I can't get into."

"Well, we're putting you at receiver."

Her eyes bulged now. "Receiver? Coach, I-"

"Look, no cornerback out here can beat you, and if you can give me something out there, we can work you into the run game again."

"You're serious?"

"Either that, or we bench you, Mitchell."

"You may have to bench me either way, right? I mean-"

"Beca, come on! I know you! Cut the shit! Kid, I wouldn't put my ass on the line for just anyone! Family or not, I brought you here because I know you can do it. You're still here. Let's get over this hump."

"It isn't for lack of trying, Sir."

"Fuck trying. Let's do it! Let's do what we always do! Come on. Are you really going to let Average Alex Donahue take your spot?"

"No. No, Sir."

"Prove it."

* * *

Chloe could see the disdain in her wife's eyes the moment the brunette entered their home. Defeat was written all over her face, and it was no mystery as to why. The signing of Alex Donahue had been all over the news a week ago. This week, the news of his intent to start come the start of the season was circulating, and #HangItUpMitchell was once again trending on Twitter. The only reason Beca had yet to see it was because she was such a hermit these days. She didn't follow social media, and she didn't listen to anyone's speculation.

Chloe followed when the shorter woman stomped upstairs, eyebrows knitted together with eyes flashing. When she reached the master bedroom, she threw her duffle bag down and tore off her shirt and bra, tossing them towards the closet. The redhead picked them up, placing them in the laundry bin.

"Babe," Chloe called.

"Yeah," came the heavy reply as Beca pulled on a tanktop.

"What's up?"

"Nothing," Beca grunted, kicking off her shoes.

"Baby, I know that Donahue is-"

"I _don't_ wanna talk about it, okay, Chlo?"

"Babe, I just think that-"

"Don't. Okay? Everyone's just saying the same shit, and maybe I can't do it. Maybe I just-"

"Goddammit, Beca!"

Beca now retracted, her jaw hanging agape at the redhead's sudden outburst. Chloe had been quiet and nurturing and soft too long. She had done it before. She had held in her true feelings before, and it had nearly been the end to them, to Beca and her career. She wasn't going to be a spectator anymore. She would not stand by and watch Beca do this again. She was her wife, and sometimes, that entailed putting her foot down.

"_You_ are constantly saying the same shit, Beca! You keep saying that maybe you can't do it. Maybe it's over. Maybe you're done, but you haven't walked away yet! You haven't hung it up. Tell me why. Are you just staying in the league to make excuses? I have seen so many sides of you, good and bad and ugly. I have gone through the mud with you, but never did I see the day that you would become this. You're so deep inside your own head that you won't even attempt to find a way out. If you think you're done, quit. Just quit. Let everyone stop talking about you behind your back. Keep giving them reasons to put you down, to doubt you because that's the easy way, isn't it? I don't know who the hell you are, but I do not like it."

"Chlo, if you want me to quit, I-"

"No, Beca, I think that you want me to want you to quit. You want a reason to quit, a legitimate excuse to walk away. I will not be your scapegoat. I want my wife now! I want the Beca Mitchell that refused to let all these assholes talk without proving they can back it. You don't quit. You're not a quitter. That isn't you, so what the hell is the problem?"

"I - I don't-"

"You need to figure it out, Beca, but I'm _not_ going to baby you anymore. I'm not going to let you sulk in self pity. No. Not anymore. You are going to go out there and play for real, or you're going to hang it up. There's no grey areas."

"You-" Beca took a deep breath now, her entire demeanor changing. "You're right. You're absolutely right. This shit needs to stop."

"What needs to stop?"

"This bullshit. I shouldn't be fighting for my spot. That's my spot. I know I'm better than that. I know that no one's going to keep feeling sorry for me. I want this, but I need to go get it."

"Damn right, you do." Chloe stepped forward now, reaching out to cup her wife's cheek, the brunette's hands falling to bracket her hips. "You're Smash fucking Mitchell, and you own that field. This is your game, and I'm tired of hearing otherwise."

Beca smirked now. "What's my name?"

The redhead matched the smirk. "Smash fucking Mitchell."

Their eyes met a moment before Beca surged forward, attaching their lips. Chloe submerged her fingers in chocolate tresses as she allowed Beca's tongue to snake into her mouth. She then moved her hands down the brunette's neck and bulging biceps to the hem of her shirt, removing it hastily. She then pushed down her lower garments before Beca's hands slid under her nightgown, cupping her ass and hoisting her up before moving over to the bed. The brunette moved down to hungrily suck and kiss the redhead's neck, eliciting a gasp. Beca's hands continued to roam beneath her gown, and as they removed her panties, her hips bucked upwards. She then flipped them over so that she was able to mount the brunette, grinding into her fiercely. Beca gasped, digging her nails into the redhead's thighs. She then leaned upwards, wrapping an arm around Chloe's back in order to pull her closer. Her lips claimed one of the redhead's breasts, earning a small moan as Chloe dipped further into the brunette's lap. Beca's other hand now moved between them, stimulating Chloe and causing her to whimper. She now ground into Beca's fingers, biting down on her bottom lip as her nails scraped the brunette's scalp. Beca's digits slid against her slick folds, easily entering. The redhead now leaned down, biting her wife's shoulder as she cried out. Her hips gyrated along with Beca's, their moans and pants filling the room in synchronization.

"Oh, Beca," Chloe yelped.

Beca pulled back slightly now to press her lips to her wife's in a bruising kiss. She pumped harder and faster, her own hips thrusting upwards into the redhead. The feel of Chloe's fingers gripping her neck, the other on her chest, had Beca's carnal instincts engaged. She once again swapped their positions, using her hips to drive into her wife roughly. Chloe's nails abraded her neck now, the other wrapping around her backside and pulling her deeper. Her back now arched into the brunette, and with three more quick thrusts, her body went stiff before it shuddered viciously, the redhead toppling over into ecstasy. Her legs wrapped around the brunette, their bodies flush against one another. Chloe's loud moan into her skin shoved Beca over the edge as well now, and her eyes rolled back as she buried her face into her wife's neck, muffling the loud roar she released. They then collapsed, Chloe's back hitting the mattress with Beca slack atop her. Both hummed their content bliss, Beca softly pecking Chloe's neck and jawline.

"You know you're my world, Chloe Mitchell," she breathed.

"And you're mine, Beca Mitchell. I love you."

"I love you too."

"Then show me something."

"Will do."


	7. Go Hard or Go Home

_"And after a half with only thirty yards, Smash Mitchell is coming out on the field for the Niners lining up as wideout! Wow, what can we say about this, Gail?"_

_"Well, John, it's understandable that the 49er coaching staff wants to keep her on the field somehow, but we'll see how this goes."_

_"What more can be done, right?"_

Beca sat out on the field tossing the football lightly in her hands. The game had been over for a couple hours now, and though she felt the need to return home and be with her wife, she needed time to process what was happening. After three catches for thirteen yards, not even a wide receiver stint seemed likely. The skybox had insisted they run the ball all second half with how well Donahue was doing. Eighty - eight yards and two touchdowns spoke big, and Beca's hope was once again dwindling. She was attempting a moment of soul searching, constantly berating herself for allowing her career to come this point, a virtual standstill where she was constantly struggling to remain in the league. This had never been the projection in her mind. She knew what she could do. She knew she was better than what was being portrayed, but she had no idea how to break the mold. It was tearing her apart, and though all knew how deeply it effected her emotionally, there was nothing anyone else could do, was there?

Beca didn't hear the footsteps approaching. In fact, she wasn't aware of the additional presence accompanying her own until two shadows were cast across the field. Before she could look up, a stack of papers fell into her lap. She tentatively put down the ball in her hands before picking up the papers and reading through them.

"What the-"

"Printouts," came a cheery voice, her quarterback now kneeling beside her. "The tweets from your fellow players. You've been trending what? Six months now?"

"Yeah, about that," Patrick now added, kneeling opposite Colin with his helmet in hand.

They watched as Beca's expression went from confused to shocked to raw rage in a matter of seconds. Each of them smiled when that rage refused to waver page after page. The edges of the paper were now constricted in her grasp. When she finished, she dropped it back in her lap, her fists clenching atop her knees.

"See, _those_ are the guys that wanna see you fail," Patrick went on. "These?" He now gestured behind them, and Beca turned to see five more figures standing there. "These are are the guys who wanna see you teach them a fuckin' lesson."

Several lights now illuminated the field, revealing five of their most prominent defensive players. Navarro Bowman and Ahmad Brooks were two other all - pro linebackers along with Patrick. Aldon Smith was their speedy and destructive defensive end. Eric Reid and Donte 'Hitner' Whitner were their monstrous safeties. Soon, Donald trotted onto the field as well, Beca guessing he had been the one to turn on the lights. All of them were suited up in their practice gear looking fierce.

"We're a team, Mitchell," Navarro now spoke up. "I'll be damned if I let you fail here. You belong here. This is as good as it gets."

"We've been watching you for years," Aldon now added. "We know you're better than this, and you're damn well better than Donahue."

"So we're gonna get you back no matter what it takes," Patrick went on. "You run through us, you can run through anybody."

"You - you guys don't have to-" Beca began, but Eric cut her off.

"No, we do. You're our teammate, a teammate we've wanted for years. I played you at LSU my freshman season, and I knew you were gonna be great. There are a lot of defenses out there that want you to hang it up. We want you to pound it in, Mitchell. No more bullshit. Yeah, let Donahue start, but I guarantee that we'll need you to finish. He ran only thirty percent of the run game in St. Louis. He has no stamina, not like he did in college. We stopped him before. We haven't stopped you."

"You never played me."

"Let's go then, Mitchell. No more excuses. Go get suited up. Play time is over."

Ten minutes later, Beca stood fully suited behind Kaep. It was only him and her on the offensive side of the ball, the others now lined up on defense.

"I don't care what happens, B!" Patrick now roared, tone fierce. "Don't you do dare stop driving those legs."

She nodded, putting in her mouthpiece. She was unaware that her wife and sister were now in the stands. They had come to find her, leaving the children sleeping at the Mitchell home with Stacie, and Luke now sat with them as they watched on. The first several plays were absolutely disgusting. Beca completely froze up before being hit hard by Aldon, a man known for his brutality. The next play, they allowed her access into the secondary. She was leveled by Donte. They didn't call him 'Hitner' for nothing. Nonetheless, she stood up and returned to the backfield. The next play, she was sandwiched viciously by Aldon and Ahmad, no mercy from either of them. She could feel it. She jumped up again, frustrated but unwilling to change it up. Next play, she was pummeled by Navarro and Eric. The defense was furious, knowing she was holding back.

"Stop being a pussy, Mitchell!" Navarro now roared, intent on getting her riled up. "You can't even get through your own defense. How the fuck do you expect to get through anyone else's! We're not taking it easy on you. You're taking those hits like it's nothing, but you're not making a move. I shouldn't be able to hit you. There's no botched plays here. There are no wrong routes or faulty blocks, dammit! You're gonna have Bryant and Miller and Vernon and Swanson blocking for you! Crabtree and Boldin! Dammit, B! They got you! Trust them! Trust us! Stop being fucking scared! You think Jason Nichols is scared? No, he loves watching you get knocked on your ass!"

"You think Gary Shaw is scared!" Patrick roared. "No, when we play him in week six, he's not gonna give a damn about you! He's going to continue to talk about your wife, right!"

Beca's anger flared. "You think Devin Marshall and Freddy Fucking Andreas are gonna be scared in week 2! Hell no! They're up there laughing right now!"

"Do you think Ty Madsen is scared of you, Mitchell! No, he's sitting on a Super Bowl ring right now! You're nothing to him!"

"So who do you wanna be!" Ahmad demanded. "You wanna be the washed up bitch everyone overestimated, or do you wanna be the badass halfback that came to play!"

Beca didn't answer. She only lined up behind Kaep, sticking her mouthpiece into her mouth. She looked out at the sneering defense now, but she didn't see Patrick or Ahmad or Eric or Donald or Aldon or Donte or Navarro. She saw Devin Marshall smirking at her, Ty Madsen jeering in his Broncos jersey, Jason Nichols laughing at her, Freddy Andreas grinning and Gary Shaw ogling her wife somewhere in the distance. No, that didn't fly here. Definitely not. The night stilled now, Kaep turning to give her the ball. The defense's movements were slow in her mind though they all sensed her anger and were planning to give it their all. Aldon came at her first, but she spun around him. Donald reached for her, but she gave him a stiff arm, effectively throwing him off. She sidestepped Ahmad, and she shook off Patrick's lunging attempt at a tackle. Then it was Donte and Eric in quick succession. She focused on the anger, the rage, the need to prove herself. Her mind flashed with all that believed in her including her wife, her sister, her son. Yes, this needed to be for her first and foremost, but she would always do it for them as well. With one last thought over her condescending rivals, she dropped that shoulder. All watched in awe as the monstrous Donte 'Hitner' Whitner was barreled through. He flew back, knocking into Eric and sending them both stumbling. Eric attempted to recover, moving to hit her from the side. He lunged, but she simple hurdled over him. At last, she had done something that could be labeled as improvement. No one celebrated however. Not yet.

"One more, Mitchell," Patrick now roared.

"What?" she asked as she trotted back.

"Twenty yards. Twenty yards between us, and you come at me. I need to know you can take it."

"I-"

"Me and you, and I'm coming for you, Mitchell. No bitch shit. You run through me, or you don't run at all. You got that?"

She was uneasy at first. Patrick Willis was a very large man, four times her size really. He was all - pro and set to make the hall of fame for a reason. He was a staple in 49er football without a doubt. Her teammates now patted her shoulders though, urging her on, and she nodded. She took her place at the twenty - yard line while Patrick lined up at the end zone line. Kaep stood at the ten, out of the way and prepared to give the green light. The first two runs were brutal hits landed on the small brunette, but she stood up. She obviously wasn't seeing what that meant however judging by the fear returning to her eyes.

"B," Donald now said sharply, and she turned to look at him. "What the fuck are you scared for? He just put you on your ass. _Hard_. Yet you got up. You took that hit. What more is there to be afraid of?"

And it donned on Beca. He was right. She was taking head - on hits, the same hits she had been taking before this decline. She could take them. It was possible, and she was proving that. If she could take the hit, why the hell couldn't she hit back?

She lined up again, plugging in her mouthpiece and tucking the ball under her arm. She dug her cleats into the grass now, biting down hard on the mouth guard. Then Colin clapped, and she burst forward. Patrick rushed forward to the five, but this time, Beca didn't pull up and allow him to level her. She dropped that shoulder, driving through him. He held onto her, but her legs refused to quit pumping. Soon, she rolled over him and into the end zone. Now, her team cheered, high fives and rounds of applause filling the air. Beca caught her breath, dropping the ball before Patrick pulled her into a bear hug.

"She's back, dammit!" he roared. "That's what I'm talking about! We're getting there, B!"

"She's back," Chloe now whispered from the stands. "She's back."

Green Bay had taken the the Niners out of the playoffs the year prior. Green Bay was home to Clay Matthews, All - Pro linebacker and critically acclaimed beast. Their defense played dirty, and the rivalry between the two teams was heated to say the least. Tempers were flaring the moment both teams stepped onto the field. Today would be no different.

"And it looks as if Beca Mitchell is once again lining up as wideout," the commentator announced. "Donahue in the backfield, and we'll see how it turns out."

Donahue was getting minimal yardage throughout the first half, and Kaep was getting very little looks deep. While Beca was able to fly down the field, the pocket was collapsing all too quickly. Pressure on the quarterback was immense. The Niners found themselves down 17-3 at halftime, but Coach Adams was prepared to switch it up at the start of the third quarter.

"Mitchell," he growled as they readied for the offense to take the field. "Show me something."

Beca lined up as wide receiver once more, Boldin and Jesse in a bunch formation. Boldin was behind Jesse and Beca near the sideline. When the ball was snapped, Beca jumped back and sped towards Kaep. He faked the handoff to Donahue, who ran up the middle, before tossing it to Beca. She rushed around the sideline, finding an opening in between Luke's block on Matthews and their receiver, Michael Crabtree's block on the cornerback. She rushed forward, turning on the jets once she turned the corner. The safety was now heading her way, the inside linebacker in her peripheral. She had a choice now. Freeze up and get laid out or run through it. She caught a glimpse of Patrick on the sideline yelling, and she made up her mind. When the safety stepped in front of her, she dropped her shoulder. The impact sent a jolt through her body, but her legs were on autopilot now, refusing to stop. The safety had expected her to stop. He was caught off guard when he felt her shoulder in his chest and his body bolt backwards. She ran right over him. Boldin now came across, laying a hit on the linebacker in her wake. The free safety was only just able to push her out of bounds at the twenty - five - yard line, but the crowd was going wild.

"And Smash Mitchell gains forty yards on that run! That one play gained more yards than she had in each game of the preseason."

"Actually, John, she had less than forty yards in each of her six games in New York."

"Wow! Could it be! Smash Mitchell just may be on her way back."

There was a momentum swing after that play, and on the next play with Beca lined up in the slot, Kaep snapped it quickly. She ran down the field, making a hard turn into the middle of the field. Kaep had his eyes on her via his peripheral from the jump, and the moment the linebackers rushed in, he threw it. She reached out, catching the bullet pass. The safety stepped in front of her, but the spin move was far too quick. Next minute, she was in the end zone. She threw her arms up as the crowd jumped on their feet. Kaep then hoisted her in the air with Boldin and Crabtree patting her shoulder pads.

"And that was Mitchell's first touchdown in over a season and a half! Touchdown, Niners!"

On the next defensive play, Patrick sacked the quarterback Aaron Rodgers. On the following play, Ahmad grabbed hold of him. They were sure the team would punt, but on the third down play, the ball was intercepted by Donald. The offense came back on the field with great field position at the Green Bay thirty. Donahue took the first handoff, and he gained two. On the next play, he gained fifteen. They were now down to the fifteen - yard line. On this play, the defense once again rushed in, and Kaep took off, running for five yards before stepping out of bounds. The next play was a pass, but Beca could not get away from the cornerback. Instead, she rushed toward Vernon and his man. Kaep recognized what she was doing, and he led Vernon with the pass. The moment he reeled it in, Beca barreled through his defender, laying him out flat. Vernon easily stepped into the end zone.

"And a beautiful block by Smash Mitchell! She looks anything but scared today, Gail!"

"That's right, John! She's doing an amazing job at receiver today! And that ties the score at seventeen all with seven minutes left in the third quarter."

Green Bay posted another field goal to end the third quarter, and they moved into the fourth. Adams allowed Beca to return the kick. This would definitely make a statement to her newfound courage in the face of a swarming defense, and he needed to know where they were. She shook off three tackles, getting to midfield before receiving a hard hit from Matthews. She flew off of the ground and a few yards to the left. The crowd cringed at the hit, and Chloe waited with bated breath for her wife to stand up. It took a few seconds before Beca processed it, and she realized that as hard as the hit was, she was fine. She could handle it. With that in mind, she jumped up and made her way to the sidelines, taking high fives as she went along. She returned shortly with the offense. This drive was all Donahue, the man breaking a forty - yard run on the second play. Beca knew that as long as he continued to do that, she would remain receiver. Nonetheless, she wanted to win more than she wanted the spot, so she blocked for him whenever she was given the chance.

With under two minutes left in the game, Green Bay had posted another touchdown, and the Niners were down by four, meaning they needed the touchdown to win it. Kaep was being highly pressured in the backfield, unable to get much at all. On third down, Beca broke her route to help him as he was swarmed by Matthews. Kaep flung it out in desperation, and she grabbed it with one hand before darting down the field. Crabtree and Boldin created the wall around her, leading her down to the eight - yard - line with thirty seconds on the clock. Though Beca had made this extremely important play for forty - eight yards, it was Donahue that rushed in for the touchdown two plays later. Needless to say, the clock was ground out after that, and the Niners were handed the win.

Beca sat beside Donahue and Kaep during the post - game conference, attempting to conceal her annoyance.

"How does it feel finally gaining positive yardage again, Mitchell?" one man smirked.

"It feels pretty nice, thanks for asking," she replied calmly.

"What changed for you and gave you the ability to play at this caliber today?"

"My team. They have supported me. They've been behind me, and they have been personally pushing me to be at my best."

"So should we expect this more often, or is this one of those one - hit - wonder type of deals?"

"No, I think I've found my groove again, and you can expect things to get better from here."

"Now, Donahue, you have been the one to come to San Francisco and put this running game back in the league's good graces. How are you fitting in here?"

"Oh, I'm doing well," the man returned smugly, and Beca tensed. "I've found a place to truly shine, and I love it here. I plan to make this a permanent move."

"So you're confident in your abilities behind this offensive line?"

"Most definitely. As you can see, we handled business today. We'll be fine."

"How do you feel about the game next week?"

"It's - another game. We go to Seattle, and we plan to play our game."

"Let's just hope you play yours, Smash."

She forced a tight - lipped smile now. "Yeah, let's do that."

* * *

The gentle breeze was signal of the ensuing fall, a season in which the Bay Area fully flourished, its beauty at its most prestigious. Beca would have to acclimatize once more to the weather that would grace her home turf, recalling the sharp chill associated with New York and the consistent warmth of Jacksonville. Atlanta had their dome, therefore sparing her from such adjustments. She could care less about weather now however. Mother Nature's worst winter was temperate in comparison to the ice that existed within the San Francisco locker room during the next few days. Seattle was their biggest rival in the entire league, and that stood even with the newest players because of who their division counterpart housed. First, Devin Marshall, a storied rivalry that had budded on the Dawson High School field over twelve years ago. He had made it his life's goal to shut down Beca and any credibility given to her. However, he had yet to beat her, and she did not plan to allow him to do so any time soon.

Then, Freddy Andreas, the old rival spawned during her freshman season as a Barden University Rebel when she won the Heisman trophy and the school's first BCS championship, each the first of four. Freddy Andreas was the most prevalent stepping stone in that initial journey, and to this day, he held a quiet grudge against the runningback that had taken him down a few notches both in the NFL draft as well as in his own personal confidence. Now he and Devin Marshall were part of the number one ranked defense of the past two years, and they only held amused anticipation for the game against the once great Beca Mitchell.

"You can't stress over this," Chloe softly breathed, placing a light kiss on her wife's shoulder.

Beca mindlessly trailed her fingers up her wife's thigh which was positioned beside hers as the brunette sat between the taller woman's legs. The warm bath water soothed her aching muscles below her waist while all above relaxed against her wife's front. Chloe wrapped her arms around her shoulders loosely, allowing Beca to fully melt into her warm embrace.

"I'm not even at my position," the brunette sighed. "They can't beat me from this position. We're going to Seattle first too, meaning we have to deal with-"

"137.8 decibels of noise?"

"Yeah, right."

"It's a stadium, B. Just like any other. They have fans, just like every other team. Don't be intimidated by it. I guarantee you that the noise in Notre Dame during our sophomore year had to have come close to a record."

"Yeah, I know. I couldn't care less about their noise level though, Chlo. I'm not worried about that, but I know what they want. I know what they're going to try and do. They have Richard Sherman, who has the biggest mouth in the league. Sure, he's good, but he isn't invincible. They have Chancellor and - and Maxwell, and - man, they just are so cocky that it's disgusting."

"Then shut them up, Babe. You're finally getting back to it. Don't take a step back now."

"You know, I just - I'm glad to be playing."

"It's going to be a good season." She lightly pecked the skin behind Beca's ear. "I can feel it."

The brunette smirked. "If this is how we spend five nights a week like this, it sure will be."

"I think we can do that."

Beca inclined her head now, catching her wife's lips in a soft kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too, Baby Love. No matter what."

"Even when I'm old and sentenced to a wheelchair?"

"I'll be right here with the muscle ointment and the pain killers."

"Oh, you're an angel."

"I do my part. For better or for worse, remember?"

"Yes, I do recall." Beca looked up now, meeting luminous azure eyes. "You're my world, Chloe Mitchell. I can never say it enough."

"Well." The redhead pecked her temple. "I never get tired of it."

"Even after ten years?"

They shared a small smile. "We made a vow worth an eternity."

"It still wont' be long enough with you."

"Well, let's make the best of it for now."


	8. Checkmate

**_To the GUEST from Chapter 6: I actually don't think I'm being unreasonable regarding the reviews due to the fact that I hadn't planned on writing this fic, but I did so because of all of the messages and asks and reviews on Other stories requesting it. I hate starting a story and not finishing it. I've never done that. Now I have two open that are killing me. I'm almost done with one, but I just figured I would have more support on this one since it WAS a request, so just so I can clear that up. If Im being blunt and NOT trying to be an asshole because I'm really not, but I wouldn't say I wrote it for me. But I do appreciate your patience nonetheless and your support. I just feel that I chose to write this one due to the endless requests. _**

**_To those who have reviewed, I really appreciate it. Thank so very much for your continued support. You guys are loved!_**

* * *

_"And Kaepernick throws his third interception of the night!"_

_"And Davis is down, and it looks like he's clutching that hamstring. That's not good."_

_"And Donahue has only thirty yards on the ground today."_

_"Sherman and Chancellor have yet to allow any big plays by the receivers."_

_"And Crabtree has to be helped off of the field. Yet another blow to 49ers, and this isn't good." _

_"This is our field, Bitch! You ain't shit here!"_

The rain and wind whipped with impeccable vigor over her exposed face, her skin stinging with each impact. The roar of the crowd was beyond deafening. It was an endless ringing in the ear, as if someone stood beside her screaming into a megaphone. All that she _could _hear? The flapping of the defense's gums with perfect clarity. Devin Marshall and Richard Sherman were the loudest while Freddy Andreas resorted to hitting her every chance given. On her first catch of the game, she found herself narrowly dodging their tandem assault as both bounded toward her from opposite sides. After that, she had three catches and only three catches, but they were worth fifty of the team's total one hundred four offensive yards. Regardless of that, there was no love for her today. From the moment their jet touched down in Seattle, the atmosphere had been hostile. Any attempts to completely cancel out the sound of jeering and taunting had been futile, and to top it off, Kaep was having the worst game of his entire career tonight. Injuries were occurring in an alarming sequence, and before Beca knew it, the game was winding down, possibly taking her career with it.

_"And the 49ers have allowed seventeen points in this final quarter alone. Donahue and Mitchell have gained a combined seventy yards here today, and they account for ninety percent of the Niner offense. The Seahawks defeat San Francisco here at home 27 - 3."_

As if it weren't bad enough, the next game went pretty much in the same fashion.

_"And yet another struggle for the 49er offense. With both Davis and Crabtree out, Swanson and McDonald are the active tight ends while Boldin and Mitchell shoulder what remains of the ailing receiving game."_

_"And Kaepernick cannot seem to get into a rhythm here as Indianapolis takes down San Francisco 27-7."_

_"And once again, the Niners start the season 1-2. This is going to be another long year, won't it be, John?"_

_"It sure looks that way, Gail."_

The sound that resonated through the nearly empty locker room was the clash of a helmet colliding with the tiled floors of the showers. A temper tantrum in its truest form, Donahue roared back at his agent each time the cowering man made a suggestion.

"I either need larger figures or a way out!"

"Alex, let's just-"

"Fuck this! We're the laughing stock of the fucking league! We have a bunch of pee wee players and washed up bitches on our team! My line is shit, and don't get me started on my fucking quarterback! We can't-"

Patrick's tree trunk of an arm swiftly enclosed Beca's tiny frame before she could rush into the showers. She was already dressed, and only a few of their players remained. Luke, Jesse and Donald sat around with Patrick, Navarro, Eric, Donte and Anquan.

"Let it go, B," Patrick reasoned, a firm grasp on her. "Just let it go. Fuck that guy. He's a joke."

"Let him cry about it," Anquan aided. "He's a mark. I pray he finds his way out. Punk."

The door opened now to reveal Benji and Cal. Donahue's voice instantly died down. He quickly gathered up is belongings and stalked out of the room. Cal and Benji only shrugged, joining the other players near the ice baths.

"Crabtree?" Anquan asked, worried more than anyone about the men who had grown to be more like his brothers in arms. "He okay?"

"We're still playing it by ear," Benji replied.

"And Davis?"

"He should be fine. Give it another few days."

"That's good to hear."

"Where's Kaep?" Beca now asked, knowing their quarterback had met with the coaches after the game and had not returned even to retrieve his bag.

"Out on the field. He's still pretty pissed about his performance."

"You _need_ to let that boy run," Anquan huffed, the others nodding their agreement. "He needs to move. They can hold Donahue, and they can cover us, but they can't contain him once he takes off. We need to run the option more, let him free."

"Yeah, well, we're hoping to work it in. Vince is working gameplan for next week as we speak. We know we weren't reading those defenses right. That pass rush was killing us, but Ben insisted that we stick to Donahue."

"Now it's him blowing the season, not us."

"Yeah, well..."

Beca silently excused herself now, venturing out of the locker room towards the tunnel that led out onto the field. She saw Kaep tossing footballs at the precision passing dummies that the team used during training. Without hitch, she removed her jacket and sweats. She set down her bag, pulling out her cleats and quickly slipping into them. She then jogged out towards the large man.

"You need a receiver there, Kaep?" she asked with a smirk.

He looked back, and when he registered her presence, he matched her expression.

"It wouldn't hurt," he replied.

"Name your route."

"Let's try a button hook."

"You got it."

They played in silence for a long while, Kaep only speaking to give her the route. She soon encouraged him to stay in the pocket, attempting to aid him in progression of his precision and accuracy. She could tell that the man longed to scramble or run, but she remembered that the team owner had insisted he either 'act like a quarterback before they found someone who could'. She knew now that the man had completely riddled the young quarterback, and they couldn't have that. They needed to play their game or they would all be cut anyway.

"Kaep, you know you can run it when you have an opening," she chided lightly as they turned it down a notch, playing catch with only about twenty yards between them. "We need something else here, something to open up the playbook."

"Yeah, I'm trying to break the habit," he sighed forlornly. "Harrison said-"

"Yeah, I know, but, Kaep, he's ruining us just as much as anyone. We have to do things our way, or we're going to lose our jobs regardless. His game isn't working, and why would it? He owns us on a pretty dime. He's not out here in the trenches doing a damn thing for us. He can pay for the field and the uniforms, and he can sign our paychecks, but he can_not _teach us to play _our _game. Our game was just fine, otherwise we wouldn't be in this league."

He smiled softly now. "You know, Smash, you don't give yourself enough credit. You're a force to be reckoned with, you know. You have the gift, and you're getting back there. Look, I know what people say, about a lot of us."

"Kaep, we're professional football players on a struggling team. Even the best of teams face adversity, speculation, doubt. It comes with the job."

"Yeah, so do players like Donahue."

"Don't sit here and tell me that you enjoyed being taunted by Rich 'The Bitch' Sherman."

They both chuckled. "No, I didn't."

"Then we have ten weeks to figure this shit out, together. Forget the critics, the skeptics, and most importantly, forget Ben Harrison. The guy is trying to act as if he has any power over this game, but he doesn't. He's just the key holder."

He shrugged. "I guess it couldn't hurt to run a little bit."

"Not at all."

"And if I feel like a reverse to Mitchell would work better than a handoff to Donahue, I _do _reserve the right to call an audible, right?"

She smirked. "Yeah, that's right."

"Okay, Smash, you sold me." They stepped up to each other now, bumping their forearms together. "Let's do the damn thing."

"Let's show them you deserve that spot."

"Then we get yours back."

* * *

Tuesdays were designated for many defensive players to take off, so Beca was in the facilities early working on footwork and hand - eye coordination. It was on this day that she had also decided that Emmett should attend after his doctor's appointment, and he sat with Emma and his Aunt Aubrey engrossed by the training taking place before him. He didn't run around or act out. He simply enjoyed sitting there and watching Beca's grace on the turf. He held a small 49er football in his hands, tossing ever so softly up in the air with his eyes trained on his mother. Emma squealed and clapped, ever the enthusiastic about the sport. She was ironically so much like her Aunt Chloe while Emmett resembled the reserved vehemence of his Aunt Aubrey. When it was time to hit the showers, Beca jogged over to her son who stood to wait for her with expert patience.

"H-h-hi, M-m-mama," he greeted as she kneeled before him.

"Hey, Buddy," she replied, kissing his forehead. "Hey, Em."

"Hi, Unco B!" the little girl squealed as she was embraced.

"F-f-foo-ball!" He pointed out at the field.

"That's right. Did you have fun?"

"Y-yeah!"

"Good. Just let me get cleaned up, and we'll go have pizza, okay?"

"K!"

When Aubrey and Beca arrived at Cheddar's Gaming Zone with their children, they ordered pizza before letting the two toddlers run off into the tunnels and ball pit. They found a table close enough to keep watch and sat down.

"What happened?" Aubrey now asked, sipping her iced tea generously.

Beca shrugged, a sour look adorning her features. "There's nothing they can do. They gave us a list of speech teachers, but they recommend we wait until he's a bit older."

"Just like the doctors in New York?"

"Yeah, but - I mean, he's already going to be four, Bree. School's coming up soon, and if we decide to put him in preschool come January."

"Look, maybe we can - try something ourselves first."

"I don't even know what caused it."

"Sometimes it just happens, Becs. It may have been something minute, and there was nothing that could be done to prevent it."

"I just - don't want him having to deal with being bullied or - or teased about it."

"It's going to be okay. Besides, Chlo said she might just home school him the first year. We can't really help him yet when he doesn't understand what's going on."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Hey. Have a little faith. It'll work out."

"We can only hope."

Truth was, after she and her wife had taken their eldest son to his physician that morning, Beca had been worried sick about the boy's issue. She had no problem with it personally. His parents had learned to understand him perfectly under the circumstances, but she knew that soon, he would be put in school, and that would summon a new level of acceptance necessary to tolerate the majority of the day. Preschool wouldn't be so bad, but if they had no leads on a solution now, how could they possibly be prepared in a year?

After lunch, the Conrads and Mitchells separated, Beca and Emmett taking a walk around the pond in a nearby park before heading home. Chloe and the twins were at the Swansons, so Beca had decided that today would be a good day to spend quality time with her toddler.

"What do you wanna do, Buddy?"

"I - I p-p-pay f-f-foo-ball."

She smirked. He always wanted to play football. "Yeah?"

"Y-yeah!" The glint in his eyes warmed her heart.

A few minutes later, he was standing behind Beca, who had the ball in her hands.

"And the ball is snapped!" Beca commentated. "She drops back. Nothing is open and - oh! It's a draw! The handoff is to Mitchell! Handoff to Mitchell!" She now placed the ball in Emmett's hands, and he scurried off without hitch. "And Mitchell was flying down the sidelines with no one in his zone! The fifty, the forty, the thirty, the twenty, the ten...Touchdown, Mitchell! Touchdown, Mitchell!"

And Emmett spiked the ball before beating on his chest then throwing his hands up in the air with a whoop just like his mother did each time she scored during an NFL game. It had been a habit since her rookie season, and it hadn't taken long for Emmett to pick it up.

"T-t-touchdown!" he screeched as Beca rushed up to him.

"Touchdown, Mitchell!" she roared, picking him. "High fives, Buddy."

He slapped her hand exuberantly. "Y-yay!"

"You're gonna play football just like Mama, huh?"

He nodded vigorously. "Y-yeah."

"You're getting so big, Babyboy." She ran a hand through spiky brown hair, his bright blue eyes narrowing as he gave her a cheesy grin. "Hopefully you'll be taller than me, so that you can be even better than I am."

He giggled. "M-M-Mama, you b-best-est."

She smiled warmly. "Thanks. I love you, Son."

"I - I - I w-w-wuv you, Ma-ma. Y-you p-p-pay?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna play."

"Y-you g-g-good, M-m-mama. Y-y-you p-pay g-g-good."

"Thanks, Buddy. I'm glad you think so."

"I - I w-w-wanna s-see M-M-Mama play."

"Okay, well let's go watch a game, huh?"

"Y-yeah!"

Emmett and Beca's shared favorite game was the Rebels' first BCS championship in Pasadena against Freddy Andreas and Notre Dame. The team had been given the official DVD of the game shortly after it took place, and she kept it in pristine condition. Each time they would say "Touchdown, Mitchell!", Emmett would mimic them albeit slowly. He sat next to his mother, a ball in his hands and a gleeful glint in his eyes. Beca always found herself admiring him, the love he held for the game itself, for her. She remembered how infatuated she had become with the game when Darren had first introduced her to it.

She was still growing accustomed to the idea that another human being aside from Chloe could love her this much to the point where they were satisfied with nothing more than her time. Despite all of the toys the boy had, the massive play palace in the backyard, the thousands of cars and trucks and action figures he possessed, he would instantly forget about all of it the moment Beca entered the home or called his name. As soon as any mention of football was made, be it a game on TV or Beca's discussion of it involving words he recognized, he was focused solely on it. It was then that the elder realized that all of her fears prior to his birth of him despising her or neglecting her due to the fact that they were not bound by blood were in vain. He had come to love her with all that he had, and football could undoubtedly be an everlasting bond. She only hoped that he would love her for the entirety of his life, and she had hope because she knew that she would love Darren until her dying day. With or without football, she had faith that she would have accepted him and loved him anyway. It was also quite possible that she had loved him before she met him, waiting patiently for someone who would see through her routine destruction and heed her cry for help. He had done so. He had loved her dark side as well as her bright side without limitations.

"I w-w-wuv y-you, M-M-Ma-ma," the little boy muttered tiredly as the third game came to a close, the night descending upon the city. "Y-you p-p-pay g-good, and y-you my f-fave - wit."

She smiled, pulling him into her arms and kissing his head softly.

"I love you too, Son," she whispered, "and I'm glad I can make you proud." That old flame within her flickered slightly as her eyes watched a sophomore Beca rush into the end zone. "I promise I'm going to make you proud."

* * *

Texas Stadium, a grand ode to "America's Team". The dome was magnificent, the facilities in its entirety majestic, and the field flawless with its azure star gleaming from its center. The tickets had sold out within days, if that, and the stands were overflowing, the majority blue and silver as expected. There were small spots of red and gold here and there, enough to fill represented. The Dallas Cowboys were looking the best that they had in decades this year, taking a huge win over a strong Kansas City team the week prior. It was only week four however. There was still much to prove. Today should be a breeze, or so the critics thought. The 49ers were no team to worry about. They were the league's new practice squad, and the Cowboys intended to keep this ideal alive and well. Tony Romo was looking impressive, but that was a routine start for him. Each season he showed potential, and each playoff run, he choked. They vowed this year would be different. They vowed it would be demonstrated. The 49ers, who had just come off the best week of practice thus far, predicted otherwise.

Donahue was getting torn apart in the backfield early, Nguyen and Ware plugging every hole created for the back. Each time he was hit, he became increasingly frustrated, throwing yet another full blown temper tantrum on the sidelines. Kaep was much too nice of a guy to strangle him the way he wished to as was Patrick, but Navarro and Anquan was gradually growing impatient and highly irritated. It was Coach Adams who was red in the face each time the man screeched, and Beca stifled laughter at the entire debacle. She had caught six passes for fifty - two yards now, but they remained pointless going into halftime. Cowboys were up 10 - 0, and everyone in Texas was all too relaxed. Coach Adams grilled them for ten minutes before allowing them to retake the field. Beca followed her receivers out after some words with Luke, Jesse and Anquan. Donahue was in the tunnel with his agent once again, venting.

"This is bullshit!" he roared. "This is just pathetic, and - and it's bullshit, and I can't-"

"Shut the fuck up, man!" Anquan blurted without a thought. "Quit bitching and play ball or take that shit back to St. Louis, Man. You're a mark. We're grown ass men, and woman, and we ain't trying to hear all of that bullshit."

"Hey, fuck you, Man! I-" He trailed off when Anquan stepped swiftly into his personal space.

"What was that?" No answer. "That's what I thought. Suck it up and make a play or sit your ass right here while we handle ours."

Anquan led Beca and the boys, who were on the verge of bursting into laughter, back to the sideline. The second half started pretty quickly, but Donahue still had nothing to offer. On the plus side, he was quiet each time he came back to the bench. Still, they were getting nowhere fast with Anquan being double teamed and Jesse being stalled in the secondary every play. Beca was shooting down the field, but by the time Kaep found her tiny frame, the pocket had collapsed atop him. This would be how the entirety of the third quarter would go, the good news being that the defense was able to hold Dallas from scoring anything but a field goal, keeping the score at 13-0.

In the fourth quarter, with both time and hope dwindling, Kaep was sacked, losing thirteen yards and putting the Niners at a long third down. The skybox was getting antsy, and it only added to the intense pressure already on the careers of everyone on this team now that Kaep and Boldin had shown support for the Barden Rebel instatement. With that in mind, Beca rushed back to the huddle. Kaep called the play, but as they broke, she grabbed his collar.

"Just throw it," she growled, and he nodded after only a moment's pause.

She lined up on the right opposite Anquan, muscles tightening and jaw clenching. Williams lined up across from her, looming over at no less than six - foot - five. Everything seemed to slow down, her mind tuning into the weight he was placing on his back foot, the way his body was angled just slightly to the left. He was expecting the slant. Perfect. The moment the ball was snapped, she took off and pulled hard to the left after ten yards in a slant route. He covered it perfectly. Kaep dropped back three steps before cocking back and bombing the ball down the field with all he had. Beca turned nonchalantly towards him just milliseconds before he threw it, getting Williams to slow as she ran back for her line. Then, as soon as his momentum was leaned forward and the ball had been thrown, she snapped back and sprinted down the field. There was no one around her, Williams falling over himself as he attempted to redirect his body. He could never match his speed. The only defender left was time. Beca had to reach the ball before it hit the ground. As it began to descend near the fifteen, she turned on the old jets and careened over the turf with everyone in silent awe. She timed it as precisely as possible before diving. The tips of her fingers touched the ball, but she couldn't bring her other arm up fast enough. With what strength she could muster at a second's notice, she tipped it upward, giving her just enough time to rotate in the air so that she was belly up. The ball fell into her lap, and she pulled it into her stomach securely. She then threw her legs over her head, a somersault that put her back on her feet to the sound of roaring 49er fans, at last louder than the overwhelming blue and silver. She easily trotted into the end zone, spiking the ball, beating her chest and throwing her hands in the air.

"Touchdown, Mitchell! Touchdown, Smash Mitchell! And the 49ers are back in the game!"

And the flame was ignited. Patrick, Navarro and the defense shut down the run game on the next drive. Tony Romo's aerial assault persisted through sixty - five yards and five minutes, leaving two minutes and forty - five seconds on the board, but a batted ball by Patrick led to an interception by Navarro at the twenty - nine, giving the 49ers the ball. Donahue took the first snap, but he was dragged down for a loss of three yards. It was obvious he was trying his damnedest not to freak out. Nonetheless, the 49ers allowed the clock to wind down to the two - minute warning. On the second play of the drive, Coach Adams received the play from upstairs, but Beca once again grabbed Kaep's shirt.

"They're covering the pass now," she informed him.

"Yeah," he drawled.

"You know what to do, Kaep."

"It's play action, B."

"Ever heard of an audible?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Have I ever let you down?"

The two shared a smirk then a nod before parting ways, Beca lining up in bunch formation with Anquan and Jesse. Luke was on the line next to Alex Boone and Mike Iupati. At the last possible second after surveying the field, Kaep called the audible, sending Donahue in motion and to his left as he moved out of the shotgun formation and under center. The ball was then snapped, and he dropped back. It was now Beca who was double teamed, and she led both the cornerback and safety down the field with Anquan doing the same on a parallel streak. Kaep saw it immediately, and with one quick pump fake easily baiting the defense, he tucked the ball under his arm and rushed towards the sideline. The outside linebacker was the first to recover, but he could not catch the quarterback once he rounded the corner. He was bounding down the field past each and every defender. Jesse and Beca broke routes now as their defenders turned to pursue Kaep. Beca crossed the field in seconds, laying a nasty block on the secondary cornerback who had been covering Anquan. Jesse took out the free safety, and Kaep made it down to the twenty - two - yard line before being shoved out of bounds by the strong safety. By now, the red and gold spots were on their feet, roaring with pride and excitement. Their team had finally come to play with a minute and nineteen seconds left. Smash Mitchell had come to play.

As Beca rushed towards the sideline, Coach Adams grabbed her by the collar, effectively halting her progression to the bench.

"Mitchell," he growled, eyes intent on the field before him. "I need a run game. Preferably one that doesn't throw a fucking hissy fit each chance they get. You know the play. Let the clock run a little bit then show me something."

"You got it, Coach," she replied firmly, turning and heading back.

Beca reached the huddle, grabbing Donahue by his collar and steering him towards the sideline. He turned on her with a scowl, eyes questioning, accusatory. She only gestured to the bench once more. He was about to ask when Coach Adams screeched at him to get off of the field, and he reluctantly obliged. Beca ducked into the huddle now, all eyes on her as they awaited the play. She smirked, and Luke and Jesse knew that look. They matched it.

"24 Counter."

Luke lined up on the line opposite Jesse. Without Vernon, Luke had been doubling as tight end two, alternating with Vance McDonald, and fullback, Jesse taking the primary tight end position. Anquan and rookie Quinton Patton lined up opposite one another on the wide out. Beca lined up behind Kaep, alone in the backfield surveying the defense. They were going to blitz. She could tell by the whites of the defensive line's knuckles. They were coming full force, and they were going to lose because their speed would never amount to _her _speed. They were banking on her fear. Sadly, her fear no longer existed. She took one glance towards the skybox where her son was sitting with her wife and sister and sister - in - laws. Once again, time seemed to slam on the brakes, coming into a surreal sluggish pace. She saw every detail of the field before her, and she bit down on her mouthpiece to still her nerves. Then the ball was snapped. A large but quick step had the linebackers leaning to the right. Kaep held it out on his left where she took the ball. The gap opened up between Luke and Boone, and she did not wait a second to zoom through it. The moment she did, Demarcus Ware was in her face, but with a quick sidestep, she was around him. The defense had blitzed, and it had been a big mistake.

She rushed down the field, watching as the blocks were laid with precision. Anquan rid himself of his cornerback before he held up the free safety while Patton tossed his own defender. The linebackers had no chance. They had been honed in on Kaep, and Jesse and Luke had prevented them from changing this intent in time. Then came one all - pro Frankie Rigley, strong safety and fully convinced that "women play football, just not NFL football". The words of his graceful and blatant tweet now scrolled through Beca's head as she faced him, and she knew she had something to prove now. He was the only thing standing between her and the goal line, her and a win, her and her position. With that in mind, she dropped her sturdy left shoulder, angling her body just enough to bounce him to the side in shock. Her legs never slowed or stalled or staggered, and though he threw his arms around her, she bulldozed over him, half dragging him into the end zone with her as she did so. The moment she hit the ground, the visiting crowd was on its feet as the whistle blew.

"Touchdown, Mitchell! Touchdown, Smash Mitchell! The 49ers have taken the lead 14-13 with just forty - six seconds left!"

Beca jumped up, spiking the ball and beating on her chest before she was tackled by her teammates in celebration. Kaep patted her helmet before helping her up. She passed Rigley on her way off of the field.

"Who said women couldn't play NFL football?" she asked smugly, but he had no reply.

"And that's going to do it, folks! The 49ers come to town and take down the red hot Dallas Cowboys in a nail - biter! 14 - 13, and the player of the game is surprisingly handed to Smash Mitchell who had 156 all - purpose yards tonight including a sixty - eight yard catch and the winning touchdown for the 49ers."

"That's right, John. It looks like the words ring true. Smash Mitchell is back."

As Beca removed her helmet and shoulder pads in the locker room, she removed a stack of documents from her duffle bag. She scanned through the pages until she came to the correct entry.

_ FRigley25: SmashMitchell21 proved that women DO play football. Women just don't play NFL football LOL #HangItUpMitchell_

With a victorious smirk, she marked off the tweet.

"One down, a hell of a lot more to go."


End file.
